The Pas-de-Calais region in northern France saw water levels subside on Saturday, however, expected rainfall from Sunday may reverse this brief decrease.
After weeks of persistent and sometimes heavy rain, local authorities warn of gradually intensifying showers – 5 to 10mm are anticipated on Sunday afternoon, increasing to 15 to 20mm by Monday. On Tuesday this could even peak at 30mm of rainfall in parts of Liane, Aa and Canche – rivers that already are swollen or have broken their banks in places.
A total of 247 municipalities are affected by flooding with severe circumstances noted in the Saint-Omer, Boulogne, and Montreuil regions. Water continues to rise, engulfing vehicles, flooding barns, and forcing locals to leave their homes. Evacuations were carried out in Blendecques (85 people evacuated), and Wavran-sur-l’Aa (45 people) from Friday to Saturday.
A woman in her sixties died in Bailleul (just five kilometres from the border with Belgium). She was found inside her waterlogged car in a flooded ditch.
In total, 10,000 people are believed to be affected. According to the Red Cross, 12 shelter centres are open within the department which suffered notably from storm Ciarán, record floods, and intense rains last week.
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Only the Aa remains under red vigilance, while the Canche and Liane, significantly impacted by the recent floods, have been downgraded to orange and yellow respectively.
Four minor injuries have been reported since Monday and 700 civil security personnel have been deployed in Pas-de-Calais. A part of the 16th-century citadel in Montreuil collapsed on Friday, as did part of a cliff-pathway between Wissant and Escalles on Saturday.
The prefecture reported 800 households without electricity and 5,000 mobile phone customers severed from service on Saturday evening.
Five high-capacity pumps, each capable of emptying an Olympic-sized swimming pool within 15 minutes were deployed to manage flood levels.
Rail traffic is suspended until Tuesday morning along the Boulogne-Etaples and Saint-Pol-Etaples routes; 73 roads remained closed as of Saturday evening.
Over 50 municipalities have filed for disaster relief status, with a decision expected on Tuesday.
