Vigilance is required for residents of Dordogne, Corrèze, Charente, Haute-Vienne, Indre-et-Loire and Vienne. Meteo France has placed these six departments on orange alert for the risk of flooding. The latter can generate “significant excesses likely to have a significant impact on collective life and the security of property and people”, adds the government site Vigicrues.
In Bélâbre (Indre), around forty people were evacuated from their homes on Saturday. “There is up to 1.50 m of water in the houses. It went up very quickly in 3 hours, during the night,” explained Laurent Laroche, mayor of Bélâbre, a town of a thousand inhabitants, crossed by the Anglin, a sub-tributary of the Loire.
“Significant and unexpected rain”
According to the prefecture, “heavy and unforeseen rain fell on the department, with precipitation levels estimated between 80 to 90 millimeters” during the night from Friday to Saturday. “Several areas were affected by overflows, leading to traffic cuts on certain roads,” she said in a press release. “The level of the Creuse has also increased significantly, raising fears of overflows in the afternoon” on Saturday, added the prefecture.
In Vienne, the rivers of Isle Amont, Vézère and Gartempe are already in flood condition. The prefecture warns in a press release about the flooding of the town center of Montmorillon.
Difficult traffic conditions
Floods can block certain roads and thus make traffic conditions more difficult. The proper functioning of the rail network may also be affected. “Power cuts may occur,” Météo-France also specifies.
It is advisable to move away from watercourses and bridges threatened by these floods, not to take a flooded road, even partially, and to generally avoid traveling. Orange vigilance remains in place until Sunday evening, according to forecasts from the meteorological organization.