Lionel Gougelot // Photo credit: DENIS CHARLET / AFP 10:54 a.m., November 27, 2023, modified at 11:04 a.m., November 27, 2023
Almost a month after the floods that hit the Pas-de-Calais, it's time to clean up for the inhabitants affected by the rising waters. In private homes and communities, specialized companies are working to remove the last traces of the disaster.After the floods, it's time to clean up for the victims of the Pas-de-Calais region. In flooded homes, specialized companies are at work cleaning the walls that are still waterlogged. On the walls of the classrooms and those of the canteen of this school in Blendecques, the traces of the rising waters can still be clearly seen.
>> Watch Europe 1 Matin in replay and podcast here
A response to distress
"We had a flotation of 1.50 meters, but we can have humidity up to two meters," explains Guillaume Durand of the company Polygone. The specialist had to bring in additional dewatering equipment from Germany. "In this school, the equipment deployed will be enough, but we are still looking forward to 28 days," he continues.
In communities or homes, each post-flood response is a response to the distress of the victims. "We explain to them all our procedures, the techniques and what we are going to put in place, the means we deploy. We're going to try to provide as many solutions as possible," Guillaume told Europe 1 radio.
>>READ ALSO – Floods in Pas-de-Calais: long-term damage for affected residents
A return to the classroom not before the Christmas holidays?
The students of this private school, hosted in other establishments, are also waiting to turn the page on this disaster. "The headmistress informs us via an app about the schoolwork. She told us that this company had arrived to start cleaning and drying for the humidity," explains Alexis, who adds that the little ones are looking forward "to finding these walls, especially the kindergarteners".
But here, the return to school will probably not take place until after the Christmas holidays.