Wednesday January 15 at Monteil, the Epage Loire-Lignon will kick off work to clear the ice jams generated by the flooding of the Loire. Finally, some will say, three months after the events of October 17 and several weeks of uncertainty while the State had first told the intercommunity presidents to clean up on their own.
This is more or less what David Salque-Pradier, mayor of Tence and president of the Haut-Lignon community of communes, had deplored, no doubt due to a lack of communication between the different services, two months after the Cévennes episode and the wave of the river having ravaged the communes of Tence and Chambon, in particular.
2.2 million euros for ice jams
Before the holidays, a gift had arrived: 550,000 euros in aid as a cash advance through the Public Water Development and Management Establishment (Epage) Loire-Lignon, which had centralized the requests and requested exceptional support. The plan established to clean the banks of waterways after the episode of October 17 amounts to 2.2 million euros.
The work can therefore begin and it is essential. “We considered with Jean-Paul Bringer, president of Epage, that the top priority was to clean up the courses of the Lignon and the Loire. We have noticed a new phenomenon for several years: owners maintain less land banks and it is their responsibility. There was a very significant amount of logjams that urgently need to be cleared. If they are still there during the next Cévennes episode, this creates risks,” explains prefect Yvan Cordier. “There is a debate about the rules for intervention in these areas. The DTT will produce 10 sheets to facilitate the work of owners. »
22 million euros in uninsurable damage
After the ice jams comes the repair of uninsurable property of communities (1 ): 22 million euros of damage was declared. The main municipalities concerned are Brives-Charensac, “the most impacted municipality and with the most experience on the subject”, deploring 2.2 million euros in damage. Followed by Tence (€2.1 million), Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (€1.7 million), Coubon (€1.5 million), Agglo du Puy (€1.8 million, mainly in Chadrac), the Department (1.5 million euros). “We have entered an essential phase of instruction,” continues the prefect, “because the State does not give public money like that. You cannot pay without verification. »
As for individuals, the damage will be assessed, in conjunction with Ingé43, the Department's office, for local investigation before a national inspection in March. 408 documents are to be analyzed. “We want to have the credits in April when the municipalities build their budget. I told the mayors (2 ) Wednesday January 8: “When you have work, do it, you will still be eligible”. »
7
43 municipalities have obtained recognition of the state of natural disaster – offering more favorable compensation conditions to individuals and businesses -, 7 others have requested it: Yssingaux, Saint-Maurice-de-Lignon, Lapte, Grazac, Saint-Julien-Molhesabate, Beaulieu and Langeac. The interministerial commission will make its decision soon.
A delegated prefect appointed
Despite everything, mayors deplore administrative delays. To remedy this problem, a prefect delegated in charge of reconstruction to Fabienne Buccio, prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Rhône Region, was appointed. Jehan-Eric Winckler “will lead on an interdepartmental scale and in close collaboration with the prefects […] the interministerial action of State services, agencies and public operators” and will ensure the monitoring of measures and systems. »
(1) Roads, civil engineering, bridges and sports equipment. The latter are not eligible for compensation schemes in the event of a natural disaster but can benefit from other credits.
(2) These are the mayors of the municipalities of Tence, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, Brives-Charensac, Coubon, Les Vastres, the presidents of intermunicipalities, the Department and the Region. All the mayors of the Allier valley, Loire and Lignon will be met in February.
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