Schools evacuated, trains stopped, highway closed and populations sealed off: rain “exceptional” have forced Haute-Loire, Ardèche, Rhône and Loire, placed on red alert for floods or high waters, to redouble their precautions.
“It was just raining and suddenly I heard screaming outside, I went out and saw a torrent coming”says Philippe Maisonnette, host of Cherie FM radio, whose premises are located in the town center of Annonay in Ardèche.
“At that point we can no longer do anything except caulk everything we can, but the water still passes”he adds, explaining that all the surrounding businesses were evacuated, a restaurant and a basement car park flooded.
Schools and nurseries were evacuated, secondary school students confined in safety, according to the town hall of this sub-prefecture. “As the situation is evolving more quickly than expected, it is imperative to stay at home”.
A large-scale Cévennes episode has hit France and requires “Particular vigilance due to the very heavy accumulations of rain expected. Exceptional precipitation on the relief of Ardèche »note Météo-France.
This department, as well as those of Haute-Loire, Loire and Rhône, have been placed on red alert for rain-floods, floods and storms. Twenty additional departments are on orange alert.
“Catastrophic”
The flooded A47 motorway was closed between Lyon and Saint-Etienne and rail traffic between the two cities suspended, according to a press release from the Rhône prefect.
In Ardèche, several roads were closed due to flooding or landslides / JOEL SAGET / AFP/Archives
In Ardèche, several roads have been closed due to flooding or landslides, according to the prefecture.
In Haute-Loire, the “concern mainly concerns the Lignon” more “the Loire has also gone into red vigilance, even if the vigilance is less pronounced” Prefect Yvan Cordier, who went to Chambon-sur-Lignon, told AFP.
In this town, the college near the river was closed and the college students were taken care of at the station, he said.
Schools were also evacuated, some houses were flooded and livestock were swept away, the mayor of Chambon-sur-Lignon Jean-Michel Eyraud told AFP.
“It’s catastrophic, we haven’t seen this since 1978”says Laurent Raynaud, restaurateur, who sees the water arriving at the foot of his establishment. “We saw a tractor tipper, a car, trees go by. Many houses are flooded in the lower part of the village, the college and the campsite…”
“No victims”
“There are currently no casualties but we remain very vigilant”specifies the prefect of Haute-Loire, who preventively called for a helicopter and a column of 80 firefighters.
“The peak of the flood is expected around 2:00 p.m. and an alert and caution message is broadcast to all people located in the area” of Lignon and the Loire, underlined Mr. Cordier.
“We recommend the greatest caution, in particular avoiding going near the river to see the flood, this can be very dangerous”he added.
The Ardèche firefighters intervened “a hundred” of recoveries for flooding of cellars and basements since Wednesday evening, indicated the prefecture.
Most of the interventions focused on the Cévennes and the Ardèche plateau, where the rains intensified last night, “with intensities of around 50 to 80 mm in three hours, locally 100-130 mm” at the same time.
In the Rhône, the Gier, a tributary of the Rhône on red alert, overflows at the town of Givors. Samuel Barataud, 25 years old, salesman in a business near the river explains that “everything is blocked” around. “The sidewalks are invisible, the water is up to your knees”he describes by telephone.
