Unable to fight against the force of the ocean, some municipalities have no choice but to admit defeat. In Ver-sur-Mer (Calvados), the slipway built after the war is nothing more than a memory.
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The work probably dates from the post-war period. It was a slipway providing access to the sea but for eight years it had been unusable. The waves crushed the concrete. The town hall of Ver-sur-Mer (Calvados) preferred not to fight. At low tide, construction equipment takes advantage of the respite. The time of the hold is over.
“It was completely broken so we're demolishing it and putting in riprap.explains Florian Canu, the site manager. The force of the waves is impressive. We are working more and more at the seaside for catering“.
The town of Ver-sur-Mer has not finished with the attacks of the sea. For several days, part of the promenade has been closed to the public. “The September tide was not good, between the wind and the coefficients and last year it was the same”recalls a local resident.
The riprap began to sag in two places. However, they were reinforced in 2017 to secure the waterfront.
“So I understand the climate and resilience law… We will have to learn to accept that and perhaps just make sure to repair at a minimum, admits Lysiane Leduc Drean, mayor of Ver-sur-Mer. Now there are houses nearby, there are gardens… It's not a falling cliff but it's nibbling, it's nibbling and in fact the daily life of the people here is largely changed“.
Here, the path is communal, but the work belongs to local residents. It is built on the public maritime domain and an intercommunal union is now responsible for organizing its defense. But the sea has no use for its administrative burdens. It is, every winter, a little more pressing.
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