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WEATHER

Rain in northern France raises fears of new flooding

A new spell of rain in northern France on Monday forced school closures and brought fears of fresh misery after devastating floods hit the department of Pas-de-Calais last week.

Published: 13 November 2023 17:36 CET
Rain in northern France raises fears of new flooding
This aerial view shows floodwaters in the village of Setques, northern France on November 11, 2023. (Photo by Anthony Brzeski / AFPTV / AFP)

Officials said schools and nurseries in the department’s 279 towns will be closed through Tuesday, with a total of 388 establishments affected. The intensity of the rain is expected to increase Tuesday, the prefecture warned.

Four rivers in the Pas-de-Calais and Nord regions — including the Aa, the Canche, and the Hem — were on orange alert for flooding on Monday, according to Vigicrues, the official river flooding watchdog.

In the village of Neuville-sous-Montreuil, restaurant owner Cyril Theriez was still pumping water out of his home on Monday morning.

He said the flood water rose to 1.6 metres in his cellar two days ago. “Now it’s down to 20 centimetres,” he added.

The village is still largely under water, with light rain falling since early morning.

“We’re on our guard, we’re waiting for the water to rise again, and when it does, we won’t be able to sleep soundly,” he said.

Pas-de-Calais was hit by Storm Ciaran in early November and experienced record floods last week.

Meteo-France forecast showers on Wednesday followed by a resumption of bad weather until Monday.

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WEATHER

‘River of mud’ prompts evacuations in northern France

A "river of mud" triggered by a sudden storm flooded dozens of houses in northern France, prompting evacuations, authorities said on Wednesday.

Published: 22 May 2024 14:30 CEST
'River of mud' prompts evacuations in northern France

The 20 minute “deluge” hit villages in the east of the Somme département, not far from the border with Belgium, late on Tuesday, local government chief Stephane Haussoulier told AFP.

The storm triggered large mudslides in some places and set loose a “river of mud” in the worst-hit village of Sailly-Laurette, he added.

Sixteen vehicles were swept away at Sailly-Laurette, which is on the banks of the River Somme. Eleven homes were flooded, some roads destroyed and 24 people evacuated, Haussoulier said.

Locals were out Wednesday clearing a thick layer of mud from streets and gardens, an AFP journalist saw.

At least 10 more villages in the eastern Somme were affected by mudslides.

Videos posted to social media showed flows of mud oozing through the streets of several municipalities.

In some places, it completely covered the wheels of cars struggling to make headway.

The flooding “caused material damage to around 100 homes”, the Somme departement’s préfecture said in a statement.

It added that firefighters had responded to 83 calls.

Earlier this month, a 57-year-old woman was killed in a mudslide in Courmelles, around 100 kilometres south of Sailly-Laurette.

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