Waves six feet high on Riviera coast .

In Nice, "all facilities" on the beaches, the airport to the port, were swept away by the waves.

The heavy sea caused serious material damage, including Cannes and Nice.

Scare on the Cote d'Azur. Waves six feet high struck Tuesday afternoon the coast causing extensive damage, including the facilities of beach goers. One person was slightly injured. According to the prefecture, this person had a broken leg in Eze, after being swept by the sea while she was exercising in a gym on the beach.
The mayor of Nice and Cannes Christian Estrosi (UMP) and Bernard Brochand (UMP) have applied the classification of their common natural disaster area, to reduce delays in compensating affected persons.
In Nice, "all facilities" the beaches, the airport and port have been swept away, according to Benoit Kandel, First Deputy Mayor of Nice. The surge has been especially fierce between Nice and Cannes, according to preliminary information, but the eastern Alps-Maritimes and the Var have also been affected.

The sea has penetrated into the city:
"See amateur video of the waves  :

The beaches and the road south of the English Drive were closed to traffic, with some places a complete closure, the sea crossing the entire width of the street and entering the city. Fifteen beach restaurants in all are affected, according to René Colomban, union president of sunbathers on the Promenade of the English, who said they had not been aware of such a storm since 1959.
In Cannes, waves of eight to ten meters have been observed, a score of restaurants have suffered "extensive damage", as the executive director for Alain Jouanjus. "It is the largest heavy sea that has been for at least ten years," he said.
According to the gendarmerie Gassin Saint Tropez (Var), the "quite substantial damage" have also been reported on the town of Cavalaire where the beach facilities were "damaged property".
In the old port of Saint Raphael, "five boats, a fishing boat and four craft, sank or were found on rocks along the banks, police said.
A risk of very high waves had been announced on the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhone and the Var, the Center for Information and Coordination road including inviting motorists to prudence.Cet winter was marked by several episodes of swell, with waves reaching 4-5 feet in the Var region in particular.
Tuesday evening, leaving two Meteo Consult departments orange alert, because of the wind blowing in the Aude and Pyrenees-Orientales.