High winds cut off power to 9,000 Brittany homes

More than 9,000 homes were left without power in Brittany last night (January 8) after winds of almost 150km/h battered the coastline in Finistere. The region is still on alert for storms and strong winds.

Power was cut off from some homes at 17:00 last night, and some from 19:00, supplier Enedis said. 5,000 homes were affected in Morbihan, 2,000 in Ille-et-Vilaine, 1,500 in Côtes-d'Armor, and 500 in Finistère.

In Brignogan in Finistère, gusts of wind reached a peak of 148km/h. In Morbihan, gusts reached up to 109 km/h in Pontivy, and a peak of 108 km/h was recorded in Lorient.

Firefighters were called to 102 incidents in the department.

Four severe injuries were recorded, including a child aged six who was hurt in a weather-related car accident near Morlaix, requiring helicopter rescue by the Brest SAMU.

In Ille-et-Vilaine, there were 48 callouts, and around a dozen in Côtes-d'Armor.

In Rennes, several cars were destroyed by falling trees, and scaffolding and terraces were also blown away, but no injuries were reported.

In Vannes, parks, gardens and playgrounds were closed due to falling trees.

Ile-et-Vilaine is still under yellow vigilance for flooding, while Météo France anticipates that there could be more strong winds and thunderstorms later tonight (Sunday, January 9).

Enedis said that at 08:00 this morning, 3,500 homes were still without power. This had reduced to 1,500 by 12:30 today. It is continuing to work to reconnect all homes, with more than 300 technicians on the case.

Coup de vent en Bretagne.

A 12h30, il reste 1 500 foyers privés d’électricité en Bretagne.

Les équipes sont à pied d’œuvre pour rétablir les foyers privés d’électricité afin d’avoir un retour à la normale ce soir.

— Enedis en Bretagne (@enedis_bretagne) January 9, 2022

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