One day after Storm Goretti's record 213 km/h gusts prompted red alerts in Manche, power outages have surged to 320,000 households—mainly in Normandy—with 60,000 reconnected by Friday morning. Flamanville nuclear plant halted two reactors due to a damaged high-voltage line, while two serious injuries were reported amid moderate human toll thanks to effective alerts.
Storm Goretti's impacts have worsened overnight, with Enedis reporting 320,000 households without power Friday morning across Normandy, Brittany, Picardy, and Île-de-France—far exceeding initial estimates of 50,000 but still less severe than Storm Ciarán's 1.2 million in 2023.
Two serious injuries occurred: a 26-year-old man hospitalized after falling from his roof in Nord, and a 43-year-old in Aisne. In Manche (previously on red alert), firefighters handled 400 interventions for fallen trees, cables, and roofs. Prefect Marc Chappuis called it 'exceptional,' crediting the alert system for the moderate toll: 'It allowed residents to shelter and prevent objects from becoming projectiles.'
EDF preemptively reduced output at Flamanville's reactors Thursday morning (50% for reactor one, 55% for EPR), but a fallen high-voltage line forced shutdowns of two units, with the third already in maintenance. Local resident Virginie Pasco, 44, from La Hague, said: 'We stayed on the ground floor—upstairs, objects vibrated and treetops swayed like never before.'
Schools remain closed Friday in Manche and Seine-Maritime. In Cherbourg, 20 people were relocated without casualties; near Rouen, a 45-meter tree damaged five homes, prompting more relocations. Dieppe port closed due to rising waters, with flooding in Étretat and Fécamp. Météo-France has downgraded most alerts to yellow as conditions calm, despite lingering showers and gusts.
