“For 20 minutes, a deluge fell” Tuesday early evening on certain towns in the east of the department, causing significant mudslides until the beginning of the night, even “a river of mud” in Sailly-Laurette, the village most affected by the phenomenon, explains Stéphane Haussoulier, the various right-wing president of the department.
In this single commune bordering the River Somme, 16 vehicles were swept away, eleven homes flooded and 24 people evacuated, specifies Mr. Haussoulier. “At least three roadways are destroyed” in the village, he adds.
Besides Sailly-Laurette, at least ten other municipalities in the east of the department were affected, including Albert, 10,000 inhabitants, located more than 10 km from the river.
Videos posted on social networks show large torrents of mud pouring at high speed into the streets of several towns, flooding gardens and rising to the top of the wheels of cars moving with difficulty.
“A priori, no victims are to be deplored,” underlines Mr. Haussoulier, but at least 80 houses were flooded to varying degrees, some of which were no longer accessible to firefighters during the night.
“This event was not particularly planned,” he adds. The Somme was classified Tuesday evening on yellow alert for thunderstorms.
#French
