From November 2023 to January 2024, Pas-de-Calais went through an episode of historic flooding, the scale of which had not been anticipated. A marshy, rainy territory with a wide seafront, the department has been working hard for a year to clean, dam and structure, in order to avoid a new disaster this winter.
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Many are still traumatized by the liters of water that surged through their streets and, far too often, into their homes. The inhabitants of Pas-de-Calais are barely recovering from the historic floods they experienced between November 2023 and January 2024. But now, at the end of October, the prospect of a rainy winter is making the population and public authorities pale.
Soon, the sad anniversary of the 2023 floods will blow out its first candle. November 7 will mark a turning point for the 3,680 victims of Pas-de-Calais in full resilience, determined to no longer live through the nightmare of last winter.
Everything is done to prepare for it. All the basins are monitored, our attention is focused on the whole since all were affected last winter.
Jacques Billant, prefect of Pas-de-Calais
“We are not immune to experiencing new violent episodes this winter“, concedes Jacques Billant, prefect of Pas-de-Calais. “Everything is done to prepare for it. All the basins are monitored, our attention is focused on the whole since all were affected last winter.“The State representative wants to be reassuring and confident in the multiple work operations carried out over nearly ten months.
205 municipalities were placed in a state of natural disaster on November 14, 2023.
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© JEAN-BAPTISTE QUENTIN / MAXPPP
Cleaning, consolidation of dikes, reinforced banks… A total of 633 operations have been carried out on waterways and 3,000 repair works have to date been carried out by local authorities. Emergency measures introduced in January, intended to be sustained through so-called “structuring” work: creation of retention basins, flood expansion zones, etc. 174 large-scale measures carried out in 2024, which the The state hoped to complete it by the end of the year.
Map of the progress of structuring works following the floods in Pas-de-Calais, in the fall of 2024.
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© Cécile Détez de la Drève
According to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, three main axes have been retained in terms of prevention to frame this work: the facilitation of flows, the direct protection of property and the retention of water. Among the 174 works planned, two pumps must be implemented: at the Carrée de Coulogne lock and at Cuinchy.
