Halfmeal fall in Béarn: “Tennis bullets that fusted” testifies a resident of Lombia where 400 chickens were killed

Sunday 04th May 2025 12:03 PM

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In Lombia, the hailstones caused major damage in a poultry farm. About 400 chickens that were outside were killed by the downpour, the equivalent of “20 to 25 % of the whole” deplores Stéphane, the breeder.

In the Big Bag, pile up the corpses of poultry killed by hail. The injured chickens were sheltered in boxes.

Alban Laffitte

“These are young poultry who panicked and who did not have time to take shelter … Many are injured and I expect to see others die …” sighs the one who also lost a lamb, also killed by the hailstones. “He had just been born, he had five days” blows Stéphane, disappointed.

“It was endless! »»

Like other inhabitants of the village, the roof of its home has also been damaged. The state of the windshield of its utility confirms the brutality of the precipitation. “We had hail three years ago already. But it was less violent! There, it lasted 15 minutes when, usually, it lasts 3 or 4 minutes. It was endless! »»

The firefighters of the Pontacq centers, Lembeye and Soumoulou stayed on the bridge “until late at night and we resumed at 7:30 am this morning” said Captain Jérémy Daguerre, group leader of the impacted sector.

The firefighters helped residents secure dwellings.

Alban Laffitte

Most of the interventions relate to operations of “tarpaulin or replacement of broken tiles”. “These remain simple protection operations, there were no injured or catastrophic damage. The current sites concern houses because we prioritize the dwellings, ”adds Captain Daguerre this Sunday afternoon, in Lombia, where the municipality made the municipal hall available to firefighters for a meal break.

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“We didn’t see anything, everything was white”

Everywhere, on the roads of Morlaàs, Bédeille, Saubole and to the north of Béarn, Taron, Crouseilles or Montaner, the roads are covered with branches and leaves testifying to the violence of the episode.

Isabelle and her son were not present on Saturday evening in Lombia where the roof of their house was damaged but they were able to get an idea by discovering this Sunday the size of the hailstones still present around the house.

Valérie Cèbe

“Ping-pong bullets!” Comments Felix, just returned from the Basque coast, discovering the size of the hailstones still present in certain ditches. At her daughter Isabelle, the roof of the house was like machine -gunned. “Fortunately, I have a film that protects the interior” notes the latter by discovering the damage. “It even farted the detector housing from my portal,” she observes.

The roads were covered with a heap of hail still visible on Sunday in certain shaded places.

Jean-Luc Lansaman

At Jean-Pierre and Martine Gensou Daban, still in Lombia, the night was very short. “We slept with basins in the bedroom, it tasted everywhere!” »Says Martine. “It happened very quickly. It was tennis bullets that fought! We saw nothing, everything was white: the road, the fields. And after the episode, there was a magnificent rainbow … but everything was chewed. ”