The mayor of the town reports a lot of fatigue even though residents of the area have already experienced flooding a few weeks ago. But she assures that she is not “discouraged” and that all teams are “on deck” to deal with these floods.
“We have been on alert since Wednesday evening.” More than fifty residents of Crécy-la-Chapelle (Seine-et-Marne) had to be evacuated on the evening of Thursday, October 10 due to flooding caused by the historic flood of Grand-Morin, indicates the mayor of the commune, Christine Autenzio, to BFMTV.
Most of them were evacuated by firefighters, although some chose to leave the center on their own. In these homes, the electricity was deliberately cut off due to rising water levels, firefighters said.
“They took a suitcase, a bundle, a toiletry bag, and they left. We saw them crossing the city center in jeans, wet up to a meter,” says the mayor.
More than a meter of water in the center
The latter reports an “accumulation” of a lot of emotion and fatigue, even though the teams have been mobilized since Wednesday, the date on which Grand-Morin was placed on red alert for floods.
“I’m a little at the end of my rope,” admits the mayor of the town, who expresses her desolation at the damage caused by the floods. “The city center is depressing. We are in the dark, since everything has blown up. We are in more than a meter of water. The city is closed.”
Christine Autenzio also had to face the despair of some of her constituents. “It’s terrible, it’s catastrophic. I saw people crying. Traders who have their businesses and their homes in Crécy, who are on the thirty-sixth floor below. It’s very difficult.”
“It’s all hands on deck.”
Despite everything, the mayor of Crécy does not want to let herself be defeated. On board her 4×4, she is already preparing to reach the gymnasium where some of the evacuated residents were welcomed. She is also delighted with the numerous acts of solidarity that she has already observed among residents, and which promise to multiply in the coming days.
“It’s all hands on deck. (…) The baker says ‘we have to bring a coffee pot for tomorrow, we have to help each other’. People are capable of many things,” he says. her, assuring BFMTV that she does not feel “discouraged”. “We’re going to get back on track, there’s no problem.”
This Thursday evening, around sixty firefighters were mobilized in Crécy-la-Chapelle. Police officers are also at their side. The decline of the Grand-Morin, which has reached a historically high level, should begin during the day on Friday, even if it promises to be very slow locally.
