“I think I will never go back”: the inhabitants of La Bérarde in shock a week after the disaster

A week after the torrential floods which devastated the Vénéon valley and razed La Bérarde to the ground, on the night of June 20 to 21, around thirty vacationers and residents went for the first time to this hamlet of Saint -Christophe-en-Oisans (Isère). Friday June 28, escorted by firefighters and gendarmes from the PGHM, They came to collect personal belongingswhich they had to abandon at the height of the floods.

“We were airlifted with only a backpack”, says Philippe, volunteer caretaker at the Belgian alpine center of La Bérarde, remembering that fateful Friday, June 21. “So, we come and collect at least one suitcase because we can live in a t-shirt and underwear for a week, but there are still limits!” Having left Plan du Lac, in fire engines and in convoy, it took a good half hour for the thirty or so victims to reach the hamlet.

“It’s worse than I thought, it’s fucked up”

Once there, it’s a slap. “Honestly, it’s worse than I thought, it’s over”Philippe breathes. “Everything is unrecognizable, it’s shocking to see the distress of the people (…) I don’t think I’ll come back here”. Because if he claims not to have “nothing lost financially”this is the case, on the other hand, of the inhabitants of La Bérarde, all very reluctant to answer journalists’ questions.

Firefighters accompany each person who wishes to enter their devastated house. The authorities have marked them with a colour code : green, yellow, red and black depending on the risk of the building collapsing.

“I don’t believe in the reconstruction of La Bérarde”

Christophe lost his “little piece of heaven” : a chalet purchased and renovated in 2014 for his family. “This chalet was an opportunity to get together as a family (…) the reconstruction of La Bérarde, I don’t believe it”he lets out between two sobs. “It was still very important to come back here to realize what happened”.

“La Bérarde will disappear, I am sure of it”

The heritage of La Bérarde has also disappeared. Jacky has been responsible for the hamlet’s alpine center for 25 years. He is “stunned”he has not yet “digested the disaster”, especially since the chapel has almost disappeared: “When we saw our chapel fall over last Saturday, it was very difficult to live with. I am launching an appeal: we want to find the bell of our chapel which is under the stones. We went to get the Titanic bell, now I want us to go get the chapel bell. We hold on to it.” Even if he is fatalistic: “As a former student, what strikes me is that La Bérarde will disappear, I am certain of it.”.

And yet, while residents and vacationers tried to save what could still be saved, excavators were busy in the bed of the Vénéon to clear the ground and rebuild a temporary road. The Department has also released a fund of several million euros to try to one day revive the valley.

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