Homes evacuated as floods continue in north France, one death in west

Flood alerts are still at the highest red level warning in parts of northern France after a river burst its banks. Many other rivers are at dangerously high levels.

Elsewhere, a 73-year old man was found dead in his car in the Loire-Atlantique department in the west of France. It is thought he had driven onto a road closed due to flooding. His body was found trapped inside the car, which was partially submerged.

The area had faced flooding in recent days after heavy rainfall.

The river Aa in the Pas-de-Calais is still at a tier-four red warning level for flooding, two days after its banks burst on January 2.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes, as the river reached the “historic levels of flooding [already seen] in November 2023,” said national river safety website Vigicrues.

Second round of flooding is ‘catastrophe’ in north

The Pas-de-Calais department was placed at red warning level yesterday for flooding.

Read more: PHOTOS: North of France hit again by river flooding

Although there is currently a break in rainfall, showers could return to the area by this (January 4) evening.

Vigicrues said it believes the water level of the Aa river – the worst-affected in the department – “reached its peak” yesterday, however there is the possibility it could rise “very slightly” depending on how strong rainfall is today.

The river is only a few centimetres lower than in November 2023 when absolute records for water levels were broken and thousands of homes flooded.

Other rivers in the department affected include the Hem, Lys, and Canche, which all currently face a tier-three orange warning for high water levels.

The level of flooding was dubbed a “catastrophe” by Rachid Ben Amor, mayor of Blendecques, a town on the banks of the Aa.

Around 10,000 homes are without power in the Pas-de-Calais and neighbouring Nord departments. The national energy grid manager Enedis says 95% of these should have their power returned today.

Four other departments in the north of France are also in a tier-three orange alert for river flooding:

• Nord

• Aisne

• Ardennes

• Meuse

You can keep up to date with information on weather warnings through the official Météo Francewebsite, and with river flooding information on the Vigicrues website.

Early indicators are that the current warnings will remain in place tomorrow (January 5), with even more departments seeing warning levels increase if rains in the north-west of France continue.

Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France

Farmers use tractors as free ‘taxis’

Farmers in the department are using their agricultural machinery to help transport people around flooded areas, as in some parts these are the only vehicles capable of driving on submerged roads.

“We take three or four people each time, and I must have done about 20 rounds. And then there are three tractors to turn, so that's quite a lot of people being transported,” said 16-year-old Romain Steenkeste, who is helping his parents transport people along the banks of the river Lys.

However, this is only possible if the floods remain below a certain level, as water damage to the expensive machinery could cause long-term damage.

“If I lose my tractor [from water damage caused by driving in the floods], I know that the insurance company won't pay for anything,” said Frédéric Dumont, another farmer in the area.

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