The east of the Somme suffered during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. A “river of mud” poured out and flooded dozens of houses while the department was classified on yellow alert for storms, said its president and the prefecture.
“For twenty minutes, a deluge fell” early Tuesday evening in certain towns in the east of the department. This caused significant mudslides until the beginning of the night. Particularly in Sailly-Laurette, the village most affected by the phenomenon. In this single commune bordering the River Somme, 16 vehicles were swept away, eleven homes flooded and 24 people evacuated, specifies Mr. Haussoulier.
The roadway is completely destroyed in places and residents are busy cleaning streets and gardens, covered in a thick layer of mud, an AFP journalist noted late Wednesday morning.
Besides Sailly-Laurette, at least ten other municipalities in the east of the department were affected, including Albert, 10,000 inhabitants, located more than 10 km from the river.
Around a hundred homes affected
Videos posted on social networks show large torrents of mud pouring at high speed into the streets of several towns, flooding gardens and rising to the top of the wheels of cars moving with difficulty.
“These events caused material damage to around a hundred homes” and “no casualties have been reported”, indicates the Somme prefecture in a press release. In total, 229 firefighters were engaged in 83 interventions, state services add.
“This event was not particularly planned,” emphasizes Stéphane Haussoulier. The Somme was classified Tuesday evening on yellow alert for thunderstorms.