Thousands of homes without water as flood alerts continue in France

[Update 13/11/2023, 16:20] as of 16:00, four more departments have seen their warning levels increase to a tier-three orange alert. These are Doubs and Jura for river flooding, and Haute-Savoie and Savoie for heavy rains and flash flooding. Other updates could be made throughout the evening, or tomorrow morning.]

Four departments are still facing heightened alerts for river flooding, with dozens of other warnings also in place across the country.

In the north, Pas-de-Calais – which was placed on red alert for burst riverbanks and flooding multiple times last week – and Nord are on heightened alert.

Hundreds of communes there will keep schools and crèches closed until at least Tuesday.

In the west, Charente and Vendée are on heightened alert for river flooding, and a number of other departments are facing tier-two yellow warnings for high river levels in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.

Storms are predicted in the north on Tuesday and rains could last until Thursday, and in the rest of the country frequent showers are expected throughout the week.

"There is no immediate hope for an improvement," said president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand.

"Special measures have been taken by insurers at national level," he added, saying that France Assurer will begin to send employees to the department this week.

Flood warnings persist

Flood warnings have been in place in the north for a week as rains have continued since the passage of Storms Ciaran and Domingos.

The videos above show some of the areas hardest hit by flooding, with many areas facing such conditions for at least a week.

The following photo shows the level of water on Monday morning in one of the towns affected:

Warnings remained at a red alert level over the weekend, but dropped to a tier-three orange warning this (November 13) morning.

The four rivers affected in the north are the Hem, Lys, Aa, and Canche.

Over 7,000 homes in the area remain without running water, and around 700 without electricity in the Pas-de-Calais department.

Almost 400 schools, crèches, and other educational facilities will remain closed today and tomorrow (November 14).

West also affected, east expecting rain

In the west, the Sèvre, Boutonne, and Charente rivers are also facing tier-three orange alerts for flooding, along certain stretches.

Many other rivers in the area are at a tier-two yellow alert – you can check the status of river warnings across France using the official Vigicrues website.

Coastal departments are also facing warnings for strong waves, and in Brittany and Normandy, tier-two warnings for strong winds are also in place.

Météo France predicts the winds may reach up to 90 km/h along the shoreline.

In the east, a handful of departments are under warnings for heavy rain, and four Alpine departments are at a tier-two warning for avalanches.

You can keep up to date with warnings on the official Météo Francewebsite, which is updated at least twice per day.

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