Locally, this is the equivalent of a month of precipitation for May in the region which fell in the space of a few minutes.
A sudden and localized phenomenon. The Somme department was the scene this Tuesday, May 21, of violent storms and torrential rains which caused significant mudslides in communities located around Albert. Locally, nearly 40 millimeters of water fell, the equivalent of a month of precipitation for May in the region.
In several villages such as Morlancourt and Sailly-Laurette, the streets found themselves flooded within a few minutes and several motorists found themselves trapped and were forced to turn back. “The village is cut in two by a mudslide,” reported the Somme prefecture, referring to the case of Sailly-Laurette.
“The quantity was not that significant, we had 20 millimeters, but in fact it fell in a very short time and it was very localized in a few municipalities”, described for his part, to BFMTV, Michel Destombes, SE mayor of Morlancourt. These mudslides caused some material damage and France Bleu reported several flooded houses and around ten cars swept away.
On the other hand, on farms, the damage is much more significant. “Currently, the fields are just a pool of water. There are torrents and mudslides right in the middle of the fields. The potatoes arrived on the road, we saw some passing in front the house”, explains to BFMTV, Nicolas, an operator in Sailly-Laurette.
“It’s all the work of the year that has gone down the drain, hours of work that disappear in a few minutes,” says Florence, a farmer in the same town.
Still in Sailly-Laurette, a town located in a natural basin which favored the mudslide underlines The Picard Courierthe community hall was opened to welcome residents whose homes were affected by mud.
