A severe snowstorm brought by Storm Caetano has plunged western France into chaos, leaving around 170,000 households without electricity and causing major travel disruptions.
French Minister of Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher announced on Thursday afternoon that over 1,400 workers have been deployed to repair the damaged power network. “We are mobilizing all available resources to restore power as quickly as possible,” she stated during a press conference.
The storm made landfall on Thursday morning, and the number of affected households is expected to rise as heavy snowfall continues. Meteo-France, the national meteorological agency, has issued an Orange alert—the second-highest warning level—for 56 of the 96 departments in metropolitan France due to strong winds and heavy snowfall.
The minister warned that snowfall would persist into Thursday night, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing. Residents are urged to exercise caution, particularly due to the increased risk of black ice on roads.
Travel has been severely impacted. The French Civil Aviation Authority reported significant delays at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and instructed airlines to cancel 10 percent of flights from the country’s largest air hub. The French national railway company SNCF announced that high-speed train services in western and southwestern France are either suspended or limited for safety reasons.
“Safety is our top priority,” SNCF said in a statement on social media. “We advise travelers to postpone their journeys and stay updated through our channels.”
As the storm continues, authorities are emphasizing the importance of staying informed and following safety guidelines. With temperatures dropping and conditions worsening, the situation remains critical for many in western France.
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Heavy snowfall causes outage, traffic disruptions in western France
cgtn.com
