Aviva plc

09/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2021 18:11

Hailstones the size of ping pong balls

Hailstones the size of ping pong balls and high-speed winds wrecked buildings and crops and put livestock at risk.

The hailstorm led to record numbers of claims. Reporting from the Drôme region where the storm hit worst, Alain Boyer, an agricultural inspector for over 30 years, said:

'This is without doubt the event with the largest number of agricultural claims I have ever had to deal with. It's similar to the floods of the Rhône and Gard rivers in 2002 and 2003.'

Videos shared on social networks showed car windscreens cracking with the impact of the giant hailstones.

News reports described how hailstones pounded through trees, crushing fruit crops ready to be harvested.

Alain recalls how 'the roof of one customer's 200 square meter sheep barn was destroyed'. Farmers feared for the wellbeing of their farmland, animals, homes and livelihoods.