For the new Minister of Ecological Transition, the damage caused by torrential rains must be highlighted with the waterproofing and densification of the city of Cannes. An unacceptable speech for the mayor.
The Figaro Nice
The mayor of Cannes, who is also president of the Association of Mayors of France and whose name was once mentioned for Matignon, is the direct, frontal type. A character trait that regularly leads him to settle his scores on social networks. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, recently appointed head of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, paid the price on Monday evening. A few hours earlier, the city of cinema had been hit by a high-intensity Mediterranean episode. In the early hours of the day, an insane amount of water fell in record time: more than 18 millimeters in 12 minutes. And even 50 millimeters in half an hour. Real torrents flooded the streets, carrying vehicles and trash in their path. Luckily, no one was injured.
While a crisis unit was opened by the municipality, David Lisnard quickly denounced a flaw in the alert level issued by the authorities, the department then being placed only on yellow alert for “rain-floods” and “storms”. “No alert received, no weather model in anticipation, a situation managed on the ground by municipal teams”he wrote on X. “If the storm had lasted longer, it could have been much more serious.”he added in a television interview with France 5.
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«Sururbanisation»
Although the prefecture did not deign to follow up on the remarks of the Maralpin councillor, Météo France responded without delay to requests from the press. “The Yellow Alert indicates that meteorological phenomena are underway in the department, and that they may occasionally and locally be intense/dangerous”recalled the meteorological service. And added: “Cumulative events on Cannes […] and the localized dimension of the phenomenon (which did not affect the entire department) correspond to a level of yellow alert. For comparison, one of the decision criteria for switching to orange alert is to have a cumulative amount of 80 mm over 3 hours, which is quite far from what we are doing with this morning’s episode (the cumulative amount over 24 hours at the Cannes-airport station is 41 mm)”.
On social media, other weather experts maintained throughout the day that the storm and rain were indeed expected with such a level of intensity. “The weather models had perfectly anticipated this storm (which is otherwise very typical). The problem is not the forecast but the “over-urbanization” of the city of Cannes, regularly flooded by Mediterranean storms. The images reaching us this morning are located in an identified, known, but nevertheless concreted flood zone. We need to ask ourselves the right questions.”analyzed Serge Zaka, doctor in agroclimatology and Franco-Lebanese storm chaser.
By dint of waterproofing and densifying cities, we end up with damage of this nature. (…) 50 millimeters of water is not Niagara Falls either.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition
Interviewed in turn on the show C à vous, on France 5 on Monday evening, Agnès Pannier-Runacher returned to “the first cause” Cannes events, ensuring at the same time that Météo France had “does its job.” “By dint of waterproofing and densifying cities, we end up with damage of this nature. (…) 50 millimeters of water is not Niagara Falls either.”she said. A statement that made David Lisnard jump, accusing a “comments of gross incompetence (…), disrespectful of realities and local work”. “We are one of the most active sectors in France against flash floods, including in reducing artificialization, recognized by your ministry. And you remain at this level of preaching? Could you respect the people and the work in a disaster-stricken city?”the president of Nouvelle Énergie again criticized in a series of vitriolic tweets.
Other elected officials are speaking out
“For the record, Madam Minister, the record in Paris in 24 hours is 78 mm. This morning in Cannes, almost 50 mm fell in 30 minutes! This is an intensity of rain that more than half of the French have never seen in their lives!”added the city’s director of technical services, Thomas Onzon. And other elected officials got involved, such as the mayor of Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Sébastien Leroy (LR) or the deputy (LR) of the Alpes-Maritimes Alexandra Martin. “In short, in 24 hours, the Minister of Justice explains to us that his ideals will prevail over the Ministry of the Interior and the Minister of Ecology insults all the local elected officials in France by stating that 50 mm of precipitation in 30 minutes is laughable. Not bad for a first day.”the first one laughed. “When you are Minister of Ecology Agnès Pannier-Runacher, you either know the causes of the natural risks that our communities face – which seems to me to be the basics – or you find out before commenting.”the Cannes parliamentarian mocked.
