LIVE – Floods in Pas-de-Calais: farmers demonstrate to demand better water evacuation

This weekend, despite significant flooding, some residents of the department chose not to evacuate their homes. This is the case of an 86-year-old resident of La Calotterie.

Philippe, his son, comes to visit him every day. He has to go there by boat since a meter of water surrounds the octogenarian’s home who no longer has a boiler or freezer.

“We anticipated, we have a generator, we have gasoline, necessary equipment to be able to intervene,” explains the son at the RMC microphone. The latter nevertheless indicates that he is afraid for his mother.

Guest of France Bleu Nord this morning, Xavier Bertrand recalled that the maintenance of “watercourses” is not the responsibility of the region. Nevertheless, the president of the Hauts-de-France region asks local authorities and the State to “come around the table, before the end of the year”.

“Whether it is the intermunicipalities, the municipalities, the department, the region, we sit around the table with the State, we will seek European funding but we do not wait a century before carrying out the studies and the work” , affirms the latter.

Xavier Bertrand announced that the Prime Minister must go to the region this week, to Dunkirk. “It is imperative that she also comes to Pas-de-Calais so that she can see it, because the images are not enough,” confides the president of the Hauts-de-France region, guest of France Bleu Nord .

“She must come to see that we need exceptional measures: that natural disasters, that agricultural calamities, are something that we need immediately to be able to then trigger compensation,” continues the latter.

Guest of France Bleu Nord this morning, Xavier Bertrand, the president of the Hauts-de-France regional council, spoke of the establishment of a one-stop shop, with a number dedicated to affected businesses, in collaboration with the Hauts-de-France CCI. of France.

The number is 03.20.63.79.00. This counter should help businesses in the region financially, but also to find premises in the department “or nearby”.

“During the weekend, we tried to find solutions for technically unemployed companies who cannot go weeks without activity,” explains Xavier Bertrand.

They are asking for work to ensure that the floods of recent days do not happen again. At the moment, around ten farmers from Pas-de-Calais are demonstrating and blocking traffic on the dual carriageway entering Calais.

“We are demanding support from the State (…) The State must realize that the hinterland, if we want to continue to live and work there, it must there is a change”, explains Raphaël Delamaëre, cattle breeder, on BFMTV.

Farmers are demanding 25 million euros to redevelop existing infrastructure.

More information here.

This weekend, the Red Cross was on the front line to help flood victims in the department. The association mobilized its premises. “People come spontaneously to bring us bags with donations,” says Franck Brulin, president of the Saint-Omer Red Cross. In two days, more than three tons of clothing were collected.

“I left my address and my telephone number if ever a single person needs to be accommodated,” explains a local resident on BFMTV.

This week, the Red Cross will also offer all the amenities that some residents no longer benefit from: internet, laundry. A psychological unit will be set up.

Four rivers are still on orange flood alert this morning. These are the Hem, the Aa, the Lys plain and the Canche. Vigicrues announces that “very significant” floods are “in progress on the Plaine de la Lys and on the Canche”.

On the other hand, in the Aa basin, the exceptional flood gave way to recession. In the Liane basins, “the exceptional flood has given way to recession but a new risk of usual flooding for the season is expected from today”.

Same thing on the Hem, Lys upstream-Laquette and Lawe-Clarence upstream basins.

According to Patrick Marlière, meteorologist, guest on BFM Lille this morning, it is difficult to say “where it could overflow” today. On the other hand, according to weather radar images, it seems that it is “rather the Canche which is targeted today and tomorrow”.

There will then be a lull for the day on Wednesday before the return of showers “at least until the next weekend” in the department.

New floods could occur in the coming hours, according to Patrick Marlière, meteorologist, guest of BFM Lille this morning. The department is still expecting “a lot of rain” in the coming days.

With these accumulations, “we could have a new wave of floods, perhaps a little less marked than the previous ones, but it will exist for Wednesday or Thursday”.

All this accompanied by “strong winds and a rising tidal coefficient”. “All the unfavorable conditions are coming together so that there are still problems at the seaside,” summarizes the meteorologist.

In Merville in the North, on the Pas-de-Calais border, vehicles can no longer circulate, except for the fire truck. Yesterday, firefighters came to the aid of a nurse who was forced to provide care to an isolated patient.

“There are patients who cannot wait (…) whatever happens, it’s our vocation, it’s our job,” explains Marie-Hélène Powaska on BFMTV.

In total, 47 firefighters are mobilized. When they arrive, Christiane, a victim and patient of the nurse, is very moved. “I didn’t want to disturb the firefighters (…) we have an admirable nurse, we have admirable firefighters,” said the latter.

Solidarity is required. The Seine-Maritime SDIS sent four aquatic rescuers and appropriate resources to Pas-de-Calais yesterday afternoon to support the emergency services already on site.

Firefighters are sent at the request of Civil Security.

Yesterday evening, the prefecture took stock of the services impacted by the floods. Restrictions on water use still affect many households, i.e. 7,200 people mainly in the Samer and Doudeauville sectors.

“The situation should last until mid-week,” said the Pas-de-Calais prefecture.

700 homes are still without electricity, including 450 in Audomarois, 150 in Calaisis and 100 in Boulonnais. In Calais, this disruption can be explained in particular after the flooding of a distribution station.

Finally, 6,000 customers are still impacted at the mobile network level, 2,800 customers are affected by fiber, fixed line and ADSL relay.

The prefecture decided yesterday to keep schools in 279 municipalities in Pas-de-Calais closed today and tomorrow.

388 establishments are concerned, i.e. 300 public schools, 48 ​​private establishments, 27 middle schools, 12 high schools and one regional adapted education establishment.

School transport will also be seriously disrupted today and tomorrow, added the Hauts-de-France region.

Hello everyone and welcome to this live dedicated to the floods which have been plaguing Pas-de-Calais for a week now.

If the department is no longer placed on red alert, the raw orange vigilance remains active for Aa, Hem and Canche. Find our flood monitoring in our live yesterday.