Storm Goretti hit the west and north of France on Thursday night, with wind gusts of up to 213 km/h in places, particularly along the English Channel coast. On Monday, almost 11,000 homes were still without electricity, mainly in Normandy and Brittany. Some farms are reporting damage, which varies greatly depending on the area. Damage surveys are still underway for many farms.
La Manche, the only department to be placed on red alert
On Thursday, Météo-France placed the Manche department on a red alert for "violent winds," due to the passage of storm Goretti. The red alert came into force at 9 pm on Thursday night (January 8th), La Manche being the only department concerned by this level of alert. The vigilance was downgraded to orange during the night, at around 3 am on Friday, January 9th.
At the same time, several departments from the northwest to Ile-de-France - including Brittany, Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, Hauts-de-France, and part of Ile-de-France - were placed on orange alert for violent winds on Thursday evening.
Very different situations depending on the area
On the ground, the situation varies greatly from one farm to another. "Some open-field crops have only been slightly affected, with no significant damage," explains the Breton cooperative Biobreizh, which counted 5 or 6 affected producers among its members. The wind gusts affected some farms, while sparing others located in the immediate vicinity.
While for some, the damage was "relatively significant," it remained very localized. One grower in Saint-Pol-de-Léon saw 900 m² of tarps torn off, while another near Kervan had its structure folded.
"One grower in Kléder, who produces Chinese cabbage in winter, saw his multi-hood greenhouse structure affected. If the multi-hood is left open, there is a risk that the cabbage will not gain weight in the cold weather. And in the event of a rainy spell, the roots remaining in water could cause the plant to suffocate," explains the cooperative.
For Biobreizh, however, this episode is a far cry from last year's storm Ciaran. "We are a long way from Ciaran. Last year, most of the damage was suffered by greenhouse growers." The cooperative, which is 100% organic, shared a few visuals of damaged structures on social networks, while wishing to remind the authorities to support French agriculture. "When we talk about a fair approach, we mean that producers must be able to make a living from their activity, invest and reinvest where necessary, as is the case today with this storm."
"I had to leave some of my clients without supply"
In Normandy, and more specifically the Manche department, a greenhouse operator reports that the material damage remains limited. "A few tiles were broken, but it is not out of the ordinary. It happens from time to time with hail or wind, and it is very quickly replaced."
On the other hand, the red alert had a direct impact on supplies. The Prefect of the Manche department issued an order banning all heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tons from the roads. "On Thursday, my trucks could no longer drive after 7 pm, so I had to leave some of my clients without supplies," explains the operator. "The ban was lifted at 11 am on Friday, and everything returned to normal."
