The southwestern part of France and the north-northeastern part of Spain were stricken by a killer storm that came off of the Atlantic this weekend. At least 11 15 21 fatalities, numerous injuries, millions of trees downed, and (per Le Monde) "somewhere between 700 million and 7 billion" euros worth of damage (insurance personnel are fanning out in the affected areas as I write this).
A large and powerful Atlantic storm, "Klaus," walloped the southwestern part of France and north-northeastern Spain this weekend... and went largely unnoticed in the American press (link to BBC account here). Although not as large in France as "Lothar," the huge December 1999 storm that killed some 90+ people and downed countless trees (including many in the park at Versailles), Klaus's winds were at least equally if not more powerful. Some 60% of the forests in the Landes area are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed.
Millions of homes were without electricity for much of the weekend; train service was interrupted, roadways were blocked by downed trees, wires, and by other debris. Several areas experienced flooding due to torrential rains that followed the powerful winds in some areas.
Four people were killed by falling trees or debris in France (correction: three people were killed by falling trees or debris; a fourth person died when the electricity to her ventilator was cut). Sadly, at least four children were killed and 9 others seriously injured in Spain when a gymnasium wall collapsed; overall fatalities number 11 15 21. One reason that the death toll was so much lower than in 1999 is that France (in particular) has since done a much better job about alerting people to pending problems: meteofrance (the French meteorological agency) had placed as many as 13 departments on "Vigilance Rouge" (red alert) prior to the storm. This level (which I have scarcely ever seen before) sets into motion many emergency procedures with respect to preparing shelters, putting emergency personnel on standby, etc.
Another factor is that this storm occurred on a weekend, when most people could hunker down and ride out the bad weather... and to their credit, most people did just that.
The remnants of the storm are just starting to make themselves felt here in Upper Provence (wind, with rain to follow), but we will have been largely spared here (and after being stranded in the Marseille area during its paralyzing snowfall two weeks ago, I'm grateful).
Note: If I have time a little later today, I will try to translate some first-person accounts. Perhaps some of the Kossacks who live in the affected area (Lupin?) can also let us know how they are and how things fared in their towns and regions.
UPDATED with a few first-person accounts (translated from comments in Le Monde):
The tiles on my roof have all blown off. I put on my husband’s army helmet to go check on the roof, and all at once my neighbor’s tree fell on my car! I was so scared I went quickly back into my house.
***
I was on the overnight train from Paris to Bayonne. Nothing happened until we got to Landes. At 5 a.m., just before [the town of] Dax, our train was suddenly deprived of electricity: trees had fallen on the wires. No heat, no light. For more than an hour, we were stopped on the tracks with trees waving wildly all around us. The train rocked a little from the force of the wind.... We were taken I don’t know how (pulled, I think [by a diesel-powered emergency engine]) to the train station in Morcenx, where we stayed the rest of the morning.
The train [personnel] used the batteries for a few minutes to heat coffee and to distribute some pastries for free. Then we were back in the dark until sunrise. Through our windows, we could see tiles and garbage bins blowing around. The mayor of Morcenx alerted the Red Cross, who made us sandwiches around 11 a.m. SNCF [train] personnel were professional and courteous, and since the intercom was out, regularly came through each car to tell us that they did not yet know when we would be able to continue onward.
***
I was able to join my sister who lives in the Landes.... Ever since Friday night, their home has been without electricity. During the night, the wind took off several parts of their roof. Come daybreak, while the wind was still blowing, they found that the tiles were gone and their living room was flooded. They feel that this storm was more violent than the one in 1999. ... The roads are impassable because of fallen trees and pylons. My niece is diabetic, and the fact that they are cut off, as well as the lack of electricity to keep her insulin cool, is starting to worry them.