Concern is spreading among the inhabitants of Nord and Pas-de-Calais this Monday, November 18.
A year after the major floods which affected the region, Météo France announced significant rainfall which raised fears of the worst.
Some residents are trying to anticipate.
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The 8 p.m.
Rain falls this Monday, November 18 in Hauts-de-France, and the forecasts are not good for the night to come. Less than a year after the severe weather which flooded many places in the region, Météo France indicated that two to three weeks of precipitation were expected in the next 24 hours.
So, a little earlier in the afternoon, in the small village of La Calotterie, in Pas-de-Calais, Yovan Tricot left his house. He wanted to check the condition of a small stream that flows near his house. His level, high, even before the rain episode, did not reassure him.
Soils saturated with water
“We are all worried”he explained to TF1, in the report at the top of this article. “Given how it reacts very quickly, given the level of the soil which is saturated, I think it’s going to be a very turbulent, very complicated night”he laments. Faced with the risk of flooding, the inhabitants of Calotterie came together to form a collective. They keep each other informed and support each other on social networks. “There is solidarity, we inform ourselves. Rather than worrying, we try to show solidarity”insisted Yovan Tricot.
However, the lack of preparation for the risk of flooding makes residents fear the worst. The waterways have not been maintained, pumps are still missing. Everyone has in mind the images of the floods which took place in February 2024. In some places, water had submerged the roads, or even completely covered the fields.
“In an hour, two hours, it can take 20-30 centimeters. It will be able to rise just to the limit in a very short time”alerted Manuel Guiquière, member of the Association of Flooded People of the Upper Canche Estuary, by showing the water level, already high, in a beak. “It could flood again. If we recover from two weeks of rain like last year, we’ll go back.”he warned.
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A few kilometers further, in Neuville-sous-Montreuil, still in Pas-de-Calais, several houses are still empty following last year's floods. The pharmacy will soon be destroyed. In the meantime, the service is provided in a prefab, located nearby. In this area too, the very rainy weather made us fear the worst this Monday afternoon. “It remains fragile. Levels are still high. Not necessarily reassured. Anything can happen”shared the pharmacist, Laurence Dachicourt.
However, work has been done. A limestone dike now surrounds the marsh which is located near Neuville-sous-Montreuil. “We will increase the quantity of water. We will be dry. It’s our protection. It’s our barrier”describes the mayor of this village, Olivier Deken, while explaining the work that was undertaken following last year's floods. The dike “existed, but not at this height, nor this width. There, here, it was comforted, enhanced. And a little further, elsewhere, we actually created an elevation of the earth”welcomes the city councilor.
Will these protections be enough to protect Pas-de-Calais from another traumatic episode? Rainfall during the night and for this Tuesday, November 19 will in any case be carefully monitored in the region.
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