Discover Poitou-Charentes Blog

The coast of Charente-Maritime was worst hit by Storm Xynthia

A powerful storm with gusts of up to 150kmh has hit the Poitou-Charentes, killing several people, cutting off the power for tens of thousands of homes and causing widespread flooding.

The part of the region worst hit by Storm Xynthia, which hit France in the early hours of Sunday 28 February, was the coast of Charente-Maritime, where high tides combined to cause flooding. An 88-year-old woman was found drowned in her own home at Boyardville in Saint-Georges d’Oléron on the ÃŽle d’Oléron, and there were reports that up to two other deaths could have been linked to the weather in the department. The flooding was also bad in the port resort of La Rochelle, where the emergency services were called in to rescue people from their homes. 

Many thousands of people across Poitou-Charentes – especially the Charente-Maritime, the Vienne and the Deux-Sèvres -  saw their electricity  cut off when fallings trees and branches brought down power lines.  A number of roads were blocked by trees and there was widespread disruption to transport. Across France Storm Xynthia caused at least 45 deaths and brought power cuts to a million homes as repair teams struggled to keep on top of the damage. Worst hit were the towns of La-Faute-sur-Mer and  
Aiguillon-sur-Mer in the Vendée just north of Poitou-Charentes, where a total of  29 people died as the strong winds and surging tide raised water levels by 1.5 metres.  Many of thsoe who died were drowned.

The storm, which was forecast well in advance by France Méteo, is  the severest to hit Poitou-Charentes since the infamous storm of 1999.