The toll of bad weather in the South-East on Friday could get even worse in the coming days.
The victims, repatriated to Nice airport by helicopter, are traumatized by the scenes they experience.
"We thought that we would never see our family again," confides a survivor at the microphone of Europe 1.
REPORTAGE
At least four dead, eight missing and twelve "wanted": the toll of bad weather in the Alpes-Maritimes and northern Italy on Friday is only provisional and could grow even worse in the days to come.
Many villages remain cut off from the world, without water or electricity, and the roads are impassable.
The authorities are trying as much as possible to repatriate the victims by helicopter to Nice airport, where, in addition to food and clothing, a psychological cell awaits them.
The survivors are all in shock.
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Traumatic scenes
They have been through hell and traumatic scenes are looping in their heads.
"I found myself on the edge of a torrent in front of a 50-meter ravine", remembers Nicolas, at the microphone of Europe 1. "All the chalets which were in the bed of the river had disappeared with occupants who left in the river . "
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"The neighborhood has been razed to the ground. You don't see a slab, not a beam: you think there never was a house in that corner," Corinne testifies.
"It's unimaginable, it was 12 meters high the river. I was shaking all night, all night I could not control myself."
"We thought we would never see our family again," she adds with emotion.
"They are getting worse and worse"
On their arrival, psychologists take care of the survivors, asking them in particular if they have had nightmares.
According to psychiatrist Véronique Nahmias, when faced with shock, each person has their own reaction.
Some will be silent or need to talk about it on the contrary.
On the other hand, the later the inhabitants are repatriated, the more the trauma sets in.
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"They are getting worse and worse," says the psychiatrist.
"Those who were repatriated yesterday were already doing a little less badly, but those who are repatriated today… They must have spent 24 more hours in the unknown, outside."
The forecasted future rains could make the situation even worse.
In addition to the material damage they can cause, these downpours reactivate the anxieties of the survivors, according to Véronique Nahmias.