Par
Lea BERNARD
Published on
Jan 12, 2025 at 2:26 p.m.
Ce Saturday January 25, 2025 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Sablé-sur-Sarthe floods. On occasion, Vincent Picard looks back on the memories he keeps.
In 1995, 49 cm of water in the store
On January 25, 1995, the town of Sablé-sur-Sarthe experienced significant floods. Several businesses find themselves with their feet in the water. Among them, the store Picard-motorcycleslocated near Place de la République. Run by Jean-Jacques Picard, this business did not escape the damage caused by the floods.
His son, Vincent Picardthen a college student, remembers this week. “My father came to pick me up from school around 4 p.m.”. In front of the store, the water continues to rise, gaining on average almost five centimeters per hour. From Monday, an expert calls them to warn them. We must act now, the water risks continuing to rise.
The family decides to evacuate all the motorcycle accessories from the store. The next day, Tuesday January 24, 1995, she raised the motorcycles by installing them on concrete blocks.
But all these measures are not enough. The water begins to rise through the ground. THE Wednesday January 25, 1995it reaches its peak. The water eventually rises to 49 centimeters height in the store.
The motorcycles were blocked, they were banging against the ceiling.
All store vehicles must be evacuated. In total, 50 to 60 motorcycles are moved to be stored at the Salesky garage. The water will eventually drain entirely from the store after 12 days of flooding.
An important solidarity
Vincent Picard retains the solidarity. Many people came together to help them. “A gentleman we didn’t know gave us a hand all week. We never saw him again after that.” Friends of the family but also customers of the store mobilized to put everything back in order. “It was heartwarming.”
The town of Sablé-sur-Sarthe has experienced other similar episodes. In 1999the city is once again affected by a new flood. This will be less important. The water stops at the foot of the store. Five to six centimeters of water litter the ground of Picard-motos. There was no real flooding, it was just “a lot of cleanup.” “It was dirty, muddy water, you had to constantly squeegee it.”
New developments
In 2001the store is evacuated to prevent further flooding. The water won’t come in after all. Faced with stress, Jean-Jacques Picard decides to carry out work which can be done quickly. In a week and a half, the store is raised by one floor.
Today, if the city experiences further flooding, the store will be able to store all its motorcycles up high. Since the construction of barrage in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Vincent Picard, now boss of the company, is more serene while “hoping not to experience it again”.
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