PHOTOS: North of France hit again by river flooding
Due to the high water table many water courses were already at risk of flooding
Low-lying Saint-Omer is exposed to flooding from its canals and the river Aa (Photo for illustration only and not taken during recent flooding)Philippe PATERNOLLI / Shutterstock
A state of danger (red alert) has been declared in one department after a river burst its banks in the north of France. Seven other departments have been placed on high (orange) alert for river flooding by the French weather service.
The situation is at its most critical in the Pas-de-Calais (Hauts-de-France), where Météo France declared a state of danger on January 2 after river Aa burst its banks.
However, the flooding has not interrupted transport, with both TER and ferry services running as scheduled.
‘Flooded again’
The river Aa (in red) in the Pas-de-Calais department has burst its banks Pic: Météo France / Vigicrues
The towns of Blendecques and Saint-Omer, which were hit by floods in November, are again affected with 48 people already evacuated from their homes.
Inondations dans le Pas-de-Calais : à Blendecques, "tout le monde est à bout", déplore un adjoint au maire ⤵ https://t.co/mO8J45Ad9X
“Just two months ago we were flooded for the first time, but there was no change in policy from the state or local politicians,” deputy Mayor Vincent Macquignon toldFrance 3.
“For the last 48 hours we have been under the rain. We wanted solutions, but we are just left to manage by ourselves”
🔴 À Blendecques (Pas-De-Calais), l’eau continue de monter et les évacuations se poursuivent ce matin. Les prochaines heures s’annoncent difficiles. 40 mm de pluie sont attendues dans la journée. Les habitants sont désabusés
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on X (formerly Twitter) that more resources would be deployed to manage the emergency.
"I have ordered the deployment of 120 more firefighters, civil security military personnel and extra pumps to reinforce the emergency services,” he said, adding that he had also requested help from Europe.
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The bad weather that has struck France for several days has not included particularly heavy rain, but due to the high water table, many water courses are already at risk of flooding.
Seven other departments are on high (orange) alert for river flooding:
Nord
Aisne
Ardennes
Meuse
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Moselle
Finistère
You can check the risk of flooding from rivers across France on the official flooding information website here.
In total, 61 departments are on (yellow) alert due to the high winds, which are forecast to reach up to 90km/h along the Normandy coast, and up to 80km/h as far inland as Bourges (Cher).
