Paris 2024 Olympic Games: mattresses from the Olympic village distributed to victims of the Ardèche affected by the Cévennes episode

Secours populaire delivered nearly 200 mattresses from the Olympic village in Ardèche and the Rhône to families affected by the violent weather that hit the region two weeks ago, the organization said.

“These are mattresses that were used by members of the Olympic committees at the Olympic Village (not the athletes, editor’s note). Almost new mattresses”indicated Secours populaire events director Christian Causse.

Two trucks that left Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday are “arrived at their destination and distributions to families have begun”he clarified. The mattresses are distributed to Givors in the Rhône and in the Annonay region in Ardèche, two areas particularly affected by bad weather, which left three people lightly injured.

Sixteen times eight pallets of mattresses were recovered as part of this partnership with the Olympic Games, according to Secours populaire, as well as “small household appliances (kettles, microwaves), small furniture, and cleaning products. Everything that allows you to get back to a more or less normal life when you have suffered a flood.”indicates Mr. Causse.

A thousand people evacuated

More than a thousand people were evacuated when torrential rains fell in the center-east on October 17 and 18. Roads, railways and schools were closed and several thousand homes were left without electricity.

Météo-France had indicated that Ardèche had been affected by the Cévennes episode “the most intense ever recorded over two days since the beginning of the 20th century”.