Floods: more affected areas, orange alert in three departments – Europe1

THE ESSENTIAL

The situation remains complicated in the north and east of France because of the weather. Severe thunderstorms are expected again Wednesday on a part of France where flooding already affecting several areas in the Far East and the North. Tuesday, in his seventies drowned in his car in the Pas-de-Calais

The information to remember.

• 21 departments were placed on orange alert storms or floods

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• new areas are affected by the floods

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  A septuagenarian was found drowned in his vehicle Tuesday.

on Wednesday morning, eighteen departments in the north-eastern France were placed in orange alert in anticipation of violent storms. Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Territoire de Belfort, the Côte d’Or, the Nièvre, the Saône-et-Loire, the Yonne, the Ardennes, Aube, Marne, Haute-Marne, Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône, the Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and the Vosges are concerned. The orange alert for storms has instead been lifted for the Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme, Oise and Aisne.

In the rest of France, three departments are still orange alert for floods: Essonne, Eure and Seine-Maritime. From midday until Thursday morning, the Grand East, Burgundy and Franche-Comté will be affected by thunderstorms with very heavy rain and sometimes hail. “Rainfall accumulations of 40 to 60 mm in a short time are locally possible, if not more,” according to Météo-France.

While in several departments affected by the weather last week, the decline is still in progress, new areas are affected by rising waters. Near Lens and Bethune, the water rose very quickly. “I saw the rising water, the water that comes across, front, back, side … For me it is panic,” says a resident of Souché in the Pas-de-Calais . “It was so quick and violent that no one could do nothing. The wind, rain and hail that’s impressive, it has fields that are torrents, it’s like in the mountains,” reflects the mayor Mondicourt in, town also located in the Pas-de-Calais. In some villages, the damage is significant with broken shop windows, torn garage doors or traces of mud everywhere on the walls and cars.

In addition to France, a large part of Belgium Tuesday was hit by violent storms, causing flooding and the closure of several roads. The motorway towards Lille, between Tournai and Brussels, for example, had to be closed because of bad weather. By late afternoon, lightning interrupted some ground activities in Brussels Airport.

On Tuesday, a septuagenarian drowned in his vehicle near Mondicourt in the Pas-de-Calais, has announced the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais. “The driver has committed a portion of the 25 flooded RN and was surprised by the rising waters up to Mondicourt,” said the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais. Around 16:30, the departmental operational center (COD) of the Pas-de-Calais, who met all state services, has been activated. That of the North has also been set up.