France's Storm Dahsyat Disrupted Electricity to 13,000 Homes

JAKARTA - Around 13,000 households in France are still experiencing power outages after a devastating storm hit a number of areas since Wednesday evening (15/7).

The electricity distribution operator Enedis, quoted by Franceinfo, said the storm caused widespread damage, especially in Ardeche, southern France.

The hail measuring several centimeters damaged houses, vehicles, and a number of public buildings in the area.

In Prades, a village of about 1,000 people, an estimated 95 percent of houses were damaged by the hail.

Ardeche also recorded more than 2,200 lightning strikes in two hours on Wednesday night, making it the most affected area during the storm. The lightning strike triggered vegetation fires that burned about four hectares of land.

In addition, the storm also caused flooding and disrupted transportation services in a number of areas.

In Sarthe, as many as 17,000 homes experienced power outages on Wednesday night. Although most of the supply has been successfully restored, about 6,000 customers are still experiencing outages on Thursday, July 16.

Meanwhile, around 500 houses in Dordogne still have no electricity supply. Train traffic on a number of lines is also still disrupted due to infrastructure damage and unstable soil conditions.

The storm also damaged vineyards in Vaucluse.

As of Thursday, a total of 15 areas are still in orange warning status for thunderstorms, while 31 others remain in orange warning status due to heat waves.

In recent weeks, France has been hit by extreme heat waves that have triggered drought and forest fires; while the storm that followed the heat wave caused disruptions to the electricity and transport networks.