Europe 1 with AFP 07:17, September 15, 2021, modified at 07:18, September 15, 2021
After the severe bad weather which hit the Gard on Tuesday, Météo France still predicts "strong thunderstorms" on Wednesday.
The organization has placed eight departments on orange vigilance for thunderstorms: Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Aveyron, Hérault, Gard, Ardèche and Drôme.
"Strong thunderstorms" are still expected on site Wednesday.
After the record rains that fell on the Gard on Tuesday, Météo-France continues to call for caution in the sector.
The Gard went back to orange vigilance for thunderstorms, rain-floods and floods on Wednesday morning.
8 deposits in #vigilanceOrange
Stay informed on https://t.co/rJ24zzmmy4pic.twitter.com/qzGuLmJxvK
- VigiMeteoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) September 15, 2021
"We expect strong rainfall intensities of around 80 to 100mm in a short time locally for Hérault and Gard, 50 to 80mm for Ardèche and Drôme", Météo France notes in its 6:00 am bulletin.
The organization has placed a total of eight departments in orange vigilance for thunderstorms (Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Aveyron, Hérault, Gard, Ardèche and Drôme).
A missing person
The stormy wave that has affected a large part of the south of France since the start of the day has been particularly active in the Gard, where it has affected around sixty municipalities.
The department was placed in red vigilance between 11:30 am and 2:00 pm, and in particular around Nîmes, where the roof of a shopping center has partially collapsed.
On the spot, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin described "very exceptional, very concentrated and very unpredictable circumstances".
TESTIMONIAL - Record
rains in the Gard: "The first time I see such a disaster"
One person is currently missing in the town of Aimargues, according to the prefecture. Before this person, two others had been temporarily missing earlier in the day, in Aigues-Vives and Uchaud, two localities close to the A9 motorway connecting Nîmes to Montpellier. One "was found", specified the prefecture at the end of the afternoon, adding that the research and testimonies on the second wanted person led, "at this stage, to rule out the hypothesis of the disappearance". So far, no casualty, except a "lightly injured" struck by lightning, has been officially reported in the department.