closed roads and parking lots… striking images of the Orne in flood

According to the prefect of Calvados, the flood peak was “expected during the day” this Thursday, January 9, 2025 in Caen and in the middle Orne basin and downstream.

Since the day before, like Dives and Touques elsewhere in the department, the Orne river is placed under “raw orange vigilance” in its part flowing from Pont-d’Ouilly to Ouistreham.

The Orne reaches two meters high in Caen

According to Météo Basse-Normandie measurements, “it fell in the space of 24 hours, an accumulation equivalent to 15 days of rain« .

This heavy rainfall caused the river to swell to a level much higher than the January 2024 flood in Caen. At 1 p.m. this Thursday, Vigicrues indicated on its site that the Orne reached almost a meter high under the Vaucelles bridge.

A height almost doubled further upstream, on the level scale of the Orne footbridge.

From the Cavée viaduct, the panoramic view left no doubt about the extent of the “significant overflows” feared by Vigicrues. The entire Valley of the two O’s (Orne and Odon) is submerged.

The Louvigny road submerged and the Parc Expo parking lot flooded

Blocked for several days, the road from Louvigny across the Prairie is under at least 60 cm of water. Under the viaduct and the SNCF bridge, the water escaping further increases the flow of the Orne.

A little further, the parking lot of the Parc des Expositions is flooded up to the location of the big top of the Borsberg circus, whose performances of its Christmas show concluded on January 5, and which has not yet moved.

On the other side of the Prairie, the ditches of the racecourse are full and the small decorated tunnel under Boulevard Yves Guillou towards the Lycée Malherbe is still impassable.

Flooded houses in Argences

Outside of Caen, several municipalities are affected by flooding. Sunday January 5, the municipality decided to install aquabarriers over 400 meters. Four days later, this Thursday, the waters of the Orne reached and bypassed them.

Without touching homes, unlike Argenteswhere several houses in the Pré-de-la-Motte subdivision have been affected since Wednesday, January 8. In this sector, the D37 road towards Troarn is also cut.

Raw orange vigilance at least until this Friday

At 4 p.m. this Thursday, Vigicrues extends the state of raw orange vigilance by at least 24 hours on the Orne. According to the public body, “maximum levels should be reached today, Thursday, or during the night from Thursday to Friday.” As a reminder, “in Normandy, Brittany and the Center-West, significant floods are currently observed and damaging levels can be observed on rivers placed on orange alert”.

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