The Mediterranean episode of this weekend of Saturday March 12 and Sunday March 13 caused damage to many inhabitants of the towns of Biterrois, and the lower districts of Béziers.
Ingrid moved to the commune of Sauvian three and a half years ago. This Franc-Comtoise of origin experienced her first Mediterranean episode this weekend.
An event that could have largely turned into a disaster for the young woman. “We arrived in the region a little over three years ago. Obviously, we were aware of the Mediterranean episodes that affect Biterrois every year. But since we came here, we had never experienced it… It was impressive, we were very scared“, confides Ingrid, who had to face the rising waters for the first time this Sunday, March 13.
One of them came to warn us that it was going to go up and that we were going to be overwhelmed
Alerted by the mayor of the town around 9 a.m., it was not until 9 p.m. that the district in which Ingrid lives, not far from the Gabinelle campsite in Sauvian, saw the Orb engulf its streets and try to enter the accommodations. Fortunately for her, Ingrid was able to count on the help of her neighbors to shelter everything and limit the damage.
“We had nothing to block in front of our door, while we saw all our neighbors installing their equipment, explains the Sauviannaise. One of them came to warn us that it was going to go up and that we were going to be overwhelmed, except that we could no longer leave our house to go to a store and buy what we needed. So he gave us what we needed, and we put it all up high“. If his front door was finally barricaded, the water still entered his home through the bathroom, located at the back of his house.
My neighbors found themselves under 50 cm of water, or even more
Outside, 70 cm of water. “We were very lucky, there must have been only 2 cm at home“, reassures Ingrid. On the other hand, for her neighbors, it’s not the same story. “We have finished cleaning everything, and apart from the parquet floor which needs to be redone since it is all warped, we have no more damage. My neighbors found themselves under 50 cm of water, or even more. This morning, I saw them take out all their household appliances, now ruined“.
€120,000 to €150,000 in damage to the Gabinelle campsite
“These were floods like we’ve never had before.” At the Gabinelle campsite, in Sauvian, the manager of the establishment Robert Cros is struggling to recover. Heavily hit by the Mediterranean episode this weekend, the toll is heavy. Between 120,000 and 150,000 € of damage.
“We have 25 damn homes. The reception was totally devastated, we lost all the computers, the printers, the machines for staff badges. On the swimming pool side, the three pumps no longer work… There are only the sanitary facilities which have not suffered too much, since it will just take a few coats of paint and the doors to be changed”, supports Robert Cros.
Anyone who was to reopen his campsite on April 1 to start the 2022 season is forced to postpone it to May 1. For now.
Floods being commonplace in the region, each mayor tries to save his village as best he can. Like Frédéric Lacas, who had cofferdams installed at the gates of his town, between Sérignan and Sauvian. “I do not blame the elected officials for having ensured that their village does not suffer. But the hydraulic engineers. By putting this dam, everything remained on Sauvian, and the campsite being in the plain, we all taken”, grumbles the person in charge.
Since this weekend, a surge of solidarity reigns over the town, to come and help Robert Cros to clean up his campsite.
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