In the Alpes-Maritimes, the village of Breil-sur-Roya has been unrecognizable since the bad weather on Friday evening: the houses were destroyed, the overturned cars were stuck in the mud, as were many pieces of sheet metal or vegetation.
IN IMAGES - Floods in the South-East: scenes of devastation in Breil-sur-Roya
REPORTAGE
It is a small town in the Alpes-Maritimes which was devastated by the bad weather of Friday evening, Breil-sur-Roya.
In this hamlet of just over 2,000 souls located along the Roya River, the houses have been completely pierced by the waters.
There is a tangle of vegetation, vehicles stuck in the mud and sheet metal.
"It's completely destroyed," cowardly at the microphone of Europe 1 Charles, a 94-year-old resident who was saved because he left just before the flood to "go and sleep with [his] cousin".
"The situation is catastrophic"
Photo credit: Nathalie Chevance / Europe 1
"It reminds me of the war, there was an insane amount of water!"
he adds.
"The situation is catastrophic", testifies for his part the mayor of the village, Sébastien Olharan, who launches a real cry for help.
"We have human damage that we are not yet able to quantify with many missing, probably more than ten. We need water, electricity, fuel, that we restore the networks telephone ... There is a strong sense of isolation. "
Photo credit: Nathalie Chevance / Europe 1
"It was apocalyptic"
"We have all lost everything: our house, our village," explains Sébastien, a shocked resident who preferred to leave the area as quickly as possible after the natural disaster.
"We have some colleagues who left with the house in Roya and we still have no news from them. It was apocalyptic."
Photo credit: Nathalie Chevance / Europe 1
Faced with the scale of the disaster, a chain of solidarity is being set up in Sospel, 20 kilometers away.
The firefighters collect water, clothing, non-perishable foodstuffs, while the first trucks begin to arrive.