A new intense stormy episode is affecting the Alpes-Maritimes department, where the A8 motorway is cut following a mudslide in Nice this Tuesday morning. Just four days after the red alert linked to the Aline depression, 50 to 80 mm of precipitation is expected on the coast and up to 90 mm locally, in a short time, warns Météo-France, which has placed the department on vigilance orange rain flooding until midday.
Jura, Ain, Isère, Drôme and Ardèche are also affected by this alert, with Ardèche also subject to an orange flood alert.
“A mud flow occurred today around 6:30 a.m. on the A8 motorway between the Nice Center (n°55) and Nice Saint-Isidore (n°52) interchanges, towards Aix-en-Provence », Details Vinci Autoroutes. Traffic is interrupted in this area for all vehicles.
Roads closed and tram lines at a standstill
Since the night of Monday to Tuesday, the departmental operational center has been activated “in order to monitor the situation in real time and to adapt, if necessary, the security and emergency measures deployed”, warns the prefecture of the Alpes- Maritimes. In Nice and Cannes in particular, municipal command posts have also been activated.
In the city of festivals, “as a safety measure” and “due to the intensification of the rains, the Boulevard du Midi is closed to traffic, from the Romano roundabout to the Mistral square”, this Tuesday morning, warns the municipality . In Nice, where parks and gardens are closed to the public, tram line 3 is at a standstill. Line 2 only operates between Carras and the port. Several main roads are also inaccessible.
Postpone your trips and do not go down to parking lots
The town hall of the Riviera capital also reports that an electric pole fell on the public road, route de Canta-Galet, without causing any injuries. She specifies that 27 people, including two children, are housed in a community hall.
According to a situation update from the firefighters, communicated at 6 a.m. this Tuesday morning, “three interventions are underway for minor flooding in homes”. The departmental fire and rescue service calls for “the greatest vigilance and recommends that the population respect the precautionary instructions”. It is particularly recommended to postpone travel, not to go underground, to move away from waterways, banks and bridges, to take refuge upstairs or at height in the event of heavy rain and do not drive onto a flooded road.