While heavy rains and violent storms fell on the Cher this Wednesday and into the night, several municipalities had to deal with rising waters. Dozens of homes throughout the department were evacuated. Update on the situation.
3:32 p.m.: new storms expected on the Cher
New storms are expected this Thursday afternoon in the Cher department, and more particularly in the east and south, where between 10 and 20 millimeters of rain could fall in an hour or two.
3:16 p.m.: the mayor of Reigny tells how he rescued his cows, trapped in water
Thursday morning, after the downpours which fell on the region, Bruno Chagnon, mayor of the town of Reigny and farmer, had to put on waders to remove his herd of 40 cows from a meadow in which they were trapped .Rescue – The 40 cows were surrounded by very high water.
The animals had the instinct to gather in a corner of the meadow, but the farmer did not hide his fear in the face of such a situation: “I have never seen such a spectacle, the water is so high that she goes through my thigh-high boots?! Finally, I managed to save my animals and put them on dry land, so to speak!”
2:08 p.m.: around fifteen departmental roads closed to traffic
“The situation remains contained at this time.” In his press briefing organized this Thursday, June 20, Maurice Barate, prefect of Cher, wanted to be reassuring about the floods which have affected the department since the evening of Wednesday, June 19.
Read the entire press briefing from the prefect of Cher
On the road side, at midday, around fifteen departmental roads were closed to traffic due to flooding. “The Bourges-Nevers SNCF line is also cut and should not be restored during the day,” added the prefect.
1:55 p.m.: the Cher goes into orange alert for floods
While it was initially in yellow, from this Thursday noon to this Friday evening, the Cher saw its level of flood vigilance raised this Thursday noon. The department is now on orange alert (level 3 out of 4). Indre is also affected by this alert.
“The watercourses of the center-west and west have reacted to the successive rain-storm degradations which have affected the west of the country since the beginning of tomorrow, specifies Vigicrues. On the Arnon, the spill of a structure further upstream causes significant overflows.”
Thunderstorm vigilance also remains active, until Friday 9:00 p.m., at least.
12:03 p.m.: The agricultural high school of Bengy-sur-Craon damaged
Following the overflow of the Craon river, the canteen of the private agricultural education high school (LEAP) in Bengy-sur-Craon was unable to open this Thursday. Water seeped into a room housing the self-service reserves and the electric meters. The high school currently accommodates around fifteen boarders (compared to sixty usually), who had breakfast in a classroom set up in the morning.
The 50 students who still had classes at the high school, as well as the twenty schoolchildren who have lunch in the canteen, will be welcomed with “a prepared meal”, in the form of a barbecue, specifies LEAP management. The school year was supposed to end this Friday at the high school. “We have chosen to finish classes this evening (Thursday), at 4:30 p.m., and to bring forward the transportation of students so that they return home,” announced management.
11:32 a.m.: “I don’t even dare go into my basement”
Met this Thursday morning, this resident of La Guerche-sur-l’Aubois testifies, while his garden is flooded. “I don’t even dare go into my basement. My lawn mower is in the water. The fire department came and took out my freezer. It makes me sick.”
10:45 a.m.: Yellow alert for thunderstorms maintained until Friday evening
Placed on orange alert (level 3 out of 4) by Météo France this Tuesday and Wednesday, the Cher remains on yellow alert for storms (level 2 out of 4) and floods for the day of this Thursday, June 20. “Significant rain” is expected, specifies Météo France in its latest bulletin.
Vigilance extends in the department from noon this Thursday until 9 p.m. this Friday June 21.
10:08 a.m.: Stuck in their car, a little girl and her mother rescued by firefighters
The Bijoux-sur-l’Aubois firefighters rescued a woman and her 4-year-old daughter, stuck in their car, at a place called La Chaume du Cadeau de Fer.
Around 8:38 a.m., the two victims were in a vehicle that was taking on water, while nearly 1.50m of water invaded the street. The diving firefighters from La Guerche-sur-l’Aubois were also mobilized to bring the two victims, who were not injured, to safety.
10:00 a.m.: “Avoid the Nérondes and Sancergues sectors”, asks the prefecture
9:47 a.m.: “No victims”, indicates the prefecture
Following the bad weather last night and the damage caused to the municipalities of Nérondes and Sancergues, the prefecture indicated, via a press release, that “at this stage, there are no victims”.
“The SDIS carried out 140 interventions and the material consequences are still being evaluated,” it is specified.
9:28 a.m.: Menetou-Couture under water
Part of the town of Menetou-Couture was flooded. Around ten houses were affected. Place du Donjon and rue du paradis in particular. The town road was cut off to traffic. A diversion put in place.
9:07 a.m.: Around twenty residents evacuated to Sancergues
Around twenty residents of rue du Tannois, in Sancergues, had to be evacuated on the morning of Thursday. “The water rose in a few minutes, between 5 a.m. and 5:15 a.m.,” explains Mélanie, a local resident who was evacuated with her partner, their four children and their two dogs.
Read Mélanie’s testimony.
8:45 a.m.: Traffic disrupted on the SNCF network
Train traffic was disrupted in the department this Thursday morning, SNCF said. The Bourges-Nevers axis is particularly affected, the tracks being flooded in the Nérondes sector.
The level crossing on departmental 6 (Route de la Charité), in the town center of the village, is impassable. Water invaded the tracks and lifted the level crossing covering. An on-call SNCF agent has been on site for 5 hours. No trains run on this portion of track.
The SNCF teams “estimate a resumption of traffic from 10:00 a.m..”
