Residents rescued from ‘worst flooding in 40 years’ as Herminia hits France

Rennes, France: Residents in north-western France have used boats to escape their flooded homes as rivers and waterways broke their banks after successive storms battered Normandy and Brittany.

The national weather service had issued flood and wind warnings as Storm Herminia hit Spain, France and parts of the UK. The storm, named by the Spanish Met Office, is bringing winds of up to 128km/h to coastal areas.

Normandy and Brittany were already waterlogged after the passage of last week’s Storm Éowyn – which left two people dead from fallen trees and more than 1 million people without electricity in Ireland and Britain.

In Guipry Messac, near Rennes at the heart of the hardest-hit region in Brittany, residents have been told to expect waters to rise to 1.5 metres inside their homes. About 400 people were evacuated from homes in and around Rennes.

Rescue workers work in the village of Guipry Messac, western France, after Storm Herminia has unleashed downpours on the region.Credit: AP

The mayor called it the city’s worst flooding in more than 40 years, and said in a statement that the waters weren’t expected to start receding until Thursday (AEDT).

A 73-year-old British sailor was reported missing off the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux, according to the regional maritime authority. His yacht was found wrecked off the south-west French coast.

The harbour is flooded by high rolling seas in Porthleven, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Storm Herminia is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the South West of UK.Credit: Getty Images

France’s weather service issued further flood and wind warnings for Tuesday for all regions on the western coast, from Brittany down to the Spanish border.

Rescue workers pull residents to safety in Guipry Messac, Brittany, France.Credit: AP

Reuters