The small villages of Bihucourt (360 inhabitants) and Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt (320 inhabitants), located between Arras and Bapaume, were hit by the tornado on Sunday afternoon. The damage is impressive, but no casualties are to be lamented.
through the VDN
This is a desolated scene in the village of Bihucourt, a small town located between Arras and Papame. This Sunday, just before 7 p.m., what appears to be A hurricane (force 3) destroyed everything Along its route through much of the village (around Babbum, Du Center and Dorrier streets), reports my voicesequence.
Dozens of homes were blown off their roofs by the force of the winds during this massive storm cell. The damage is quite impressive. Dozens of trees were uprooted. The walls crumbled. Part of the roof of the church is missing. According to witnesses at the scene, it was a real “battle scene”. The power is out and wires are strewn across the floor.
A crisis room was activated in the presence of the mayor, gendarmerie and firefighters. Fortunately, there were no casualties except for a few injuries. To Alain Castanier, Vice-Governor and General Secretary of the province, “The cyclone hit several villages in a row and Bihucourt was the worst affected town. Half of the residents (about 150) were to be resettled. A major current hazard is the presence of many downed power cables on public highways. Enedis crews were called in to secure the lines.
Apocalypse
Lizian, 26, talks about this “Disaster» Following the passage of this cyclone. “I thought we would die with my lover. A continuous thunder boomed everywhere. An hour after the tornado circled my house, I was still shaking.”. “It’s like we’re absorbedKatherine Savage testifies. At one point, we thought it was hail, but it was actually flying from the neighbor’s shed..”
Unity was quickly organized in the village to help the victims. Most stay with family or neighbors.
In the neighboring village of Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt, similar devastation followed the passage of this hurricane. “Half the houses are affected (i.e. about fifty families are affected).“says the mayor. A dozen people have been rehoused with relatives. The village is closed to traffic due to a lot of debris and power lines on the road. The municipality of Ervillers was also affected by the passing of the tornado (a farm building collapsed and several power poles were on the ground) this Sunday.
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