Massive waves have hit the French Riviera between Nice and Cannes causing major material damage to the densely-populated coast on Tuesday afternoon 4th May. The freak weather struck as the region is preparing to host the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.
Freak waves battered the southern French coast between Menton to La Ciotat on Tuesday afternoon, causing major damage to beach constructions only a few days before the Cannes film festival is set to begin.
There were ten metre-high waves battering the coastline, leaving one woman with a fractured leg and causing major material damage. The unusual weather cost the life of a 20-year-old woman who was swept away near the lighthouse on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
In Cannes, some 20 restaurants were damaged and several cars overturned. The picture above is of a restaurant - la Gougouline at Cagnes sur Mer. The restaurant was severly damaged in the bad weather on the 1st January this year.
In Nice, not only the beaches were closed but also part of its famous Promenade des Anglais.
The timing of the natural disaster – days before the opening of the tourist season – could spell economic disaster for the French Riviera. In Nice and Cannes, a state of natural catastrophe has been declared to speed up compensation claims for beach front restaurants, some of whom were forced to watch as 6-metre waves carried their sun loungers and other equipment out to sea, just days before the Film Festival and Grand Prix season.
In Cannes, an 11-year-old Australian girl was rescued from a catamaran which broke free from its mooring. Over 1,000 cruise liner passengers had to be driven by coach from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Toulon as the sea was too rough for them to return to the ship by tender.
It took over 2 hours to travel by road from Nice to the outskirts of Cagnes sur Mer on Tuesday evening. At least the road was open whereas the carriageway nearer the sea was closed. This was for traffic heading towards Nice. Fortunately it was closed as in January this year heavy debris from the sea was being thrown onto the road.
According to a report on the Riviera Radio website on the 6th May "Beach clean-up operation - Across the Riviera, a massive clean-up operation is underway following Tuesday’s 6-metre waves which wrecked beaches and seafront restaurants from Menton to La Ciotat.
The mayor of Nice is meeting with beach bar bosses today and has promised to speed up the process of compensation. A state of natural catastrophe has been declared in Nice and Cannes and restaurant owners away from the coast are showing solidarity by lending equipment to their devastated colleagues, such as cutlery, furniture and washing machines.
The president of the PACA region has promised a million euros in aid for affected establishments, many of whom had recently invested thousands in new materials for the start of the season. With the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix both attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the Riviera next week, the disastrous phenomenon could not have come at a worse time for the local tourism industry."
If you own a property in the south of France do make sure you have adequate property insurance. Find out more at: http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=11&sec=1
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