Residents of western France have begun clearing up after catastrophic floods as river levels slowly start to recede. Despite the improving situation, the departments of Loire-Atlantique, Charente-Maritime, and Maine-et-Loire remain under a red weather alert until Tuesday. Children are returning to school after the winter break under exceptional circumstances, often with the support of military vehicles and gendarmerie on flooded road sections.

Slow decline in water levels

The décrue process has begun in most river basins, but high groundwater levels are slowing drainage.

Red alerts maintained

Three departments in western France remain under the highest level of threat at least until Tuesday.

Military transports children to school

Military trucks were used in cut-off regions to enable the start of the school semester.

1995 records broken

In many towns, the levels of the Loire and Sarthe reached historic highs, flooding hundreds of homes.

Residents of the Sarthe river valley and lower Loire have started initial cleanup work, taking advantage of the gradual drop in water levels. In the town of Cheffes-sur-Sarthe, where water entered homes up to a height of 1.40 meters, the scale of destruction is enormous. The meteorological service Météo-France emphasizes that the process of décrue will be exceptionally slow due to the complete saturation of the ground with moisture. In the department of Maine-et-Loire, many families have lost their life's work, compounding the psychological fatigue of communities regularly hit by flooding in recent years. The historic floods in France in 1995 remained a benchmark for protection systems for three decades, but the current high waters in the Loire basin have in many places exceeded those levels, forcing a revision of crisis management plans.Despite logistical difficulties, authorities decided to resume classes almost normally after the winter break. In the most flooded municipalities of Charente-Maritime, the national guard and gendarmerie used military trucks to transport students. Local officials, such as the mayor of Saintes Bruno Drapron, are sounding the alarm about the critical state of infrastructure and the exhaustion of residents. „C'est un enfer” (It's hell) — Bruno Drapron The situation is worsened by reports of attempted thefts in homes abandoned during evacuations, which has forced police to conduct 24-hour patrols on watercraft. The monitoring service Vigicrues indicates that although the peak of the flood wave in Loire-Atlantique has passed, a return to full stability will take weeks. Optimism is tempered by forecasts concerning the durability of flood defenses, which may be weakened after prolonged water pressure. „On voit la petite lumière au loin” (We see the small light in the distance) — Météo-France There are increasingly frequent calls from experts and residents for permanent relocations from the lowest-lying areas, which could mark the beginning of a major climate adaptation campaign in the Pays de la Loire region.

Mentioned People

  • Bruno Drapron — Mayor of the city of Saintes, describing the difficult situation of residents during the flood wave.