Tarpaulins cover the ripped roofs. Supported by wooden props, the walls of houses always threaten to collapse onto the public highway. Streets remain closed by barriers, with these warnings: “Access strictly prohibited”; “risk of collapse”… Nearly a year after the earthquake which crossed this part of Charente-Maritime, between La Rochelle and Niort (Deux-Sèvres), the communes of La Laigne, 500 inhabitants, and Cram-Chaban , 650 inhabitants, remain bruised.
The width of the cracks running along the buildings and the piles of stone still lying on the ground bear witness to the violence of the shock suffered by the residents on June 16, 2023. With a magnitude of 5.3 to 5.8 according to the Network national seismic monitoring and the French Central Seismological Bureau, the earthquake, which occurred at 6:38 p.m., was felt in a large part of western France, from Bordeaux to Caen. And due to its shallow depth, the intensity of the tremors in the epicentral region, in La Laigne and in the surrounding communities, caused a lot of damage, fortunately without causing any casualties.
“I was on my terrace, I was very scared”
“There was an explosion like I’ve never heard before,” remembers Patrick, 64, a resident of Cram-Chaban. We couldn’t have been far from the sound of a bomb exploding. It only lasted six seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Then we all found ourselves in the street. We quickly understood what was going on, because we had already experienced a first shock in the afternoon, around 3 p.m. » Another will follow during the night.
“We didn’t really know what it was, we thought it was an explosion,” confirms Brigitte Boisjot, who lives in La Laigne. I was on my terrace, I was very scared. Then I returned to my house, there was dust everywhere, everything had fallen to the ground. » But the worst for this resident came later. “We were all traumatized, I couldn’t sleep anymore. The slightest noise makes you think about it again. I had to go and consult a specialized psychological unit. »
148 houses hit with a danger order
Some “53% of the buildings were impacted in the three municipalities most affected, La Laigne, Cram-Chaban, and La Grève-sur-Mignon”, lists the president of the disaster victims’ collective, Matthieu Priez. Houses were color-coded based on the extent of the damage, with red and black considered uninhabitable. “There were 148 houses hit with a danger order, and in total we are at 160 families rehoused,” continues Matthieu Priez. They were able to find refuge in one of the mobile homes set up by the Habitat et Humanisme association, or rented in the private park in the surrounding towns.
The collective of victims recently obtained payment for the rent for the rehousing of these families “until the end of the work, which is a big step forward” welcomes Matthieu Priez. “Especially since we will soon have more: for certain houses still inhabited, when a good assessment is carried out or the work begins, their inhabitants will have to temporarily leave their homes. »
“We had a bodywork expert come to assess a house”
In La Laigne, a banner announces the color: “Where are the insurance companies? !! » Several assessments have in fact still not taken place or will have to start again, after several months of uncertainty with the insurance companies. In both villages, we are starting to find the time long.
Following the arrival on site of the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, in February, “we had a meeting in April with the insurers, on whom we put a lot of pressure” continues Matthieu Priez. “It worked, the situation is starting to improve. But we lost ten months during which, apart from the precautionary measures, the expert work was not well done. The insurers had left it to the experts to assess the damage, but we do not manage an earthquake like a water leak. We even had a bodywork expert come to assess a house… Concerning me, for example, the building studies are starting from scratch, and now the insurers are traveling to the field to see the difficulties. »
Some residents called on “insured experts”, a sort of counter-expert. This is the case of Patrick, who thus hopes to obtain better compensation, “in the face of insurance which tends to pull down…” But this further extends the delays.
“It’s been progressing better in recent weeks”
The sums estimated to carry out the work on certain houses, sometimes colossal, have certainly led to inertia. “We have quotes of 700,000 or 900,000 euros,” says the mayor of Cram-Chaban, Laurent Renaud. In his commune, “we were stuck in an endless administrative process to determine who was going to take responsibility. Things have been better in recent weeks, but it’s a shame to be forced to ask the State for insurers to do their job. »
But not everyone is so angry with the insurers. “I am in a special situation because I live in a historic house for which I had taken out a large insurance contract, so I have not had too many problems in this regard for the moment », Testifies Wilfried Collin. Her imposing home in La Laigne held up, but she suffered. Inside, the beautiful stone fireplaces are split. The ceilings are supported by props. The roof is protected by a simple tarpaulin. “Today, the urgency is to restore the waterproofing because I regularly experience leaks, especially with the bad weather of recent months. But it’s difficult to bring in companies. I have to call on craftsmen who come from Vendée. »
France Assureurs assures for its part that companies and experts “mobilized immediately by putting in place exceptional measures, such as the payment of deposits to deal with the most urgent situations”, adding that the earthquake caused nearly 17,000 claims for total compensation of 184 million euros.
“What will become of our communities if no one comes to live there anymore? »
A handful of houses, too damaged or for which the work would have been too extensive, have already been demolished, notably in La Laigne. Others will follow. The disappearance of part of this heritage, of these typical stone houses, worries local elected officials. “Our villages will end up looking like housing estates, even though we are at the gates of the Poitevin marshes, and we have an identity that we wish to preserve. And some residents will not return. What will become of our communities if no one comes to live there anymore? » asks Laurent Renaud.
Patrick’s house, although it has survived, is cracked “in the ceilings and partitions. » He is still waiting for “the quantified evaluation of the work. » But, whatever happens, he will stay in Cram-Chaban. “What do you want me to do anyway?” Leave ? My house is unsellable. You have to live with [le risque de séisme], that’s all. My neighbor, on the other hand, will take the opportunity to leave the village, because the insurance will not cover the work on his house, estimated at one million euros. »
Brigitte Boisjot’s residence also “held up”, even if it was “cracked on all sides. » “But around me, it’s a dark zone, the houses will be demolished. » She is also worried about a desertification of her town, emphasizing “that we no longer have any businesses. » After Covid-19, the earthquake seems to have been the final blow for the last traders. “Not sure it will reopen behind,” adds Brigitte, the buyers not jostling at the gate. The earthquake of June 16, 2023 could therefore leave traces much deeper than we imagine.