Trucks pumping liters of water. Residents rinsing their floors or hosing objects, others emptying their homes before throwing the lost material into large dumpsters.
In front of some doors, we still see sandbags to prevent water from entering. In front of others, concrete blocks which were used to raise the furniture. These are the scenes we could witness, in Craon, in Mayenne, this Friday June 21, 2024.
Residents in shock
After the record flood of the Oudon river, whose level rose to 3.24 m, Thursday June 20, there was an atmosphere of the day after in the city of South Mayenne. “It went down as quickly as it went up” , slips a Craonnais who lives a few meters from the river that has burst its banks.
In all the streets affected by the floods, we come across people from Mayen observing the damage. At Marylise’s house, the water has receded, but the trash cans are scattered around the house. “What bothers me the most is the furniture that we couldn’t move. They had sentimental value. It’s a disaster. » Her nephew, Pierrick, came to help her clean up. “The sofas were bathed in hydrocarbons. They are dead “, he adds.
On Friday evening, thirteen people still had to sleep at the campsite because they were unable to return home. On the other hand, electricity was able to be restored to all residents.
A natural disaster “
Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition, visited the site on Friday morning. He met local elected officials and representatives of state services. “I was able to speak with the Minister of the Interior, he indicated. We will activate the natural disaster request. We will do everything to ensure that the procedure is initiated by mid-July. »
This recognition should speed up the procedures. “Unfortunately, we have already had experience during the Pas-de-Calais floods. This allowed us to develop links with France insurers,” continues the minister. The natural disaster perimeter will be determined by local elected officials and the prefecture.
He then went to meet the victims. The opportunity for him to send a message: climate change is the cause of this catastrophe. “Episodes of intense rain, like those experienced in recent days, can cause other identical floods to the extent that the soils are already waterlogged, warned the minister. This kind of phenomenon is rare in mid-June, in the northwest of France.”
