Written by Baptiste Renaut
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In Montmartin-sur-Mer, in Manche, a couple is preparing to leave their house for good. Rising water levels, a consequence of global warming, have made the place uninhabitable, making them the first climate displaced people in the department. Testimony.
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It is a sacrifice in the face of climate change. In Montmartin-sur-Mer, in Manche, Claudine and David Lecordier are packing their boxes at the beginning of November. The farming couple, owners of a farm by the sea, are preparing to leave permanently. Rising water levels, a consequence of global warming, have made the place uninhabitable, making them the first climate displaced persons in the Channel.
During high tides, water arrives at the door of their house. The building, which has been regularly flooded for twenty years, will be razed within a few months. The place will be returned to nature in order to let the sea enter the land to try to protect more distant houses. “We can see that the sea is getting closer and closer and we don't want to lose everything“, explained David Lecordier.
The place where Claudine and David Lecordier's farm is located, in Montmartin-sur-Mer (Manche), will soon be swallowed up by the sea.
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© France Télévisions
Claudine and David learned that they were going to have to leave in 2019. For five years, they waited for a relocation from the Regional Council. Finally, this year, it was the Conservatoire du Littoral which bought the building, before its demolition. It's a “relief“, affirms David, who was waiting for an outcome for him and his partner. All the same, when he leaves the premises, he will certainly have a “pinch in the heart“, he confides.
David spent his entire life in this house, which he inherited from his parents, also farmers. They bought it after their marriage in 1956 to set up a sheep farm. David took over the farm and the house in 1993.”It's my whole life and that of my parents“, he recalls, showing resignation. “We made up our mindslance David. We have suffered so much. There it ends“.
It bears witness to the change in the landscape, with the grassy areas facing the farm giving way over the years to a large pond. “It started in 1999, and in the ten years that followed, the entire dune disappeared“, says the breeder.
By leaving this place, Claudine and David also abandon their job as farmers. Their meadows have been reduced by one hectare due to rising waters and will be submerged in the future. In their new home, they will not have pasture. After 31 years on the farm, they sold their sheep, donkeys and agricultural equipment to other breeders. “We change our lives, a new page begins“, they summarize.
“We knew that the sea would regain its rights“, David finishes pragmatically.
