La Giraudière Takes a Hit from Violent Storm in Brossac

On Wednesday evening, a whirlwind of destruction blew into La Giraudière as a violent storm hit Brossac and the whole of southwest France. Furious winds at a speed of 160km/hr blew into town just before dinner, making trees sway and windows rattle. Soon after, we heard the rumble of thunder, and rain began to fall in torrents.

Just half an hour later, the sky cleared up, but the damage from the unexpected storm had already been done. Outside in the garden, plants were blown over; and some roses clung onto their stems for dear life. A tree was even blown down across the road, but thankfully our neighbor farmer M. Philippe Condemine cleared the tree with his tractor.

The worst of the storm’s wrath, however, saw itself manifested inside the house. Water that had been driven through windows and doors flooded the floors of some apartments, and even worse, upstairs in one apartment, the wind had put enough pressure on the bedroom wall to cause it to explode. Cracks split through the wall, even revealing some of the brickwork inside. We’re looking to get the wall repaired in the coming week.

Cracks in the wall from the violent storm

Another thunderstorm is forecast for today, but we hope that the weather will clear up here at La Giraudière in the following days, with some sun to replace the stormy weather in Brossac.