Floods: Élisabeth Borne with the victims of Pas-de-Calais

Europe 1 with AFP 07:12, November 16, 2023

Élisabeth Borne, expected at 8:30 a.m., is due to meet the security and rescue forces as well as residents of Montreuil-sur-Mer, a town crossed by the Canche, a river still on orange alert for the risk of flooding. Part of the <>th-century citadel of Montreuil collapsed on Friday. The Prime Minister is then expected to meet with the territory's mayors.

"The aftermath is going to be very complicated. People are tired, exhausted, psychologically, physically, morally," Gwenaëlle Loire, mayor of Saint-Léonard, about 50 kilometres away, told AFP. "We are recognized as a natural disaster, but now the state will have to give us the means because I think that houses will be declared unhealthy by the experts, so people will no longer be able to live in their homes," she stressed, worrying about the rehousing, or even the permanent departure of some residents.

The rains could resume on Thursday

Although the damage is expected to be major, the human toll remains at 4 injured since November 6, according to the prefecture. After a slight lull, the rains could resume Thursday, says Météo-France in its latest bulletin: a new depression, named Frederico, will "circulate in the north of the country, on an axis Brittany / Alsace".

This return of rain on saturated soils since the passage of storm Ciaran on November 2, "may cause new increases" on the three rivers of the Pas-de-Calais classified in orange vigilance, warns Vigicrues, evoking the "risk of a new major flood on Thursday". In addition to the Canche, two rivers in the department are still on orange alert: the Hem and the Lys Plaine. The Nord, Charente-Maritime and Vendée are also on orange alert for flooding.

Gradual reopening of schools

After middle and high schools in the affected areas gradually reopened on Wednesday, most of the 1,290 schools closed since Monday will reopen on Thursday, the prefecture said. Nevertheless, 21 schools will not be able to accommodate students and school transport remains very disrupted.

The drinking water supply is still restricted for 7,200 people in the Samer sector, a situation that is expected to last until the middle of the week, the same source said, adding that more than 500 households are without electricity, and more than 4,000 subscribers without mobile phones.

In Saint-Léonard, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, residents were hard at work on Wednesday to evacuate the water that had entered their ground floor during the night. "We feel powerless, we have no choice but to wait for it to stop," said Didier Marre, 56, scraping water from his daughter's house, while muddy laundry lay on a line.

Recognition of the state of natural disaster for 205 municipalities

For the departmental president of the Red Cross, Fabienne Berquier, "the main challenge now is to find sustainable solutions for the victims who will not be able to return home, in houses where there is "humidity up to 1m60, no heating or electricity".

The recognition of 181 municipalities in the Pas-de-Calais and 24 in the Nord as being in a state of natural disaster was published on Wednesday in the Official Journal. On a trip to the department on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron announced the release of a €50 million "support fund" for the affected communities.

For farmers who have suffered the floods in Hauts-de-France but also in Brittany and Normandy, another fund, of 80 million, must be activated.

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About 1,400 evacuees

Since 6 November, around 1,400 people have been evacuated because of these floods, which are exceptional in their duration and intensity. Although they are natural phenomena, floods, cyclones and droughts can be amplified by global warming generated by human activities.