Code red for flooding is in force in two departments in the west of France on Sunday. Dozens of people were evacuated and one person is also missing.
High water levels are expected locally due to heavy rainfall. Code red applies for flooding in the departments of Vienne and Indre-et-Loire. Code orange is in force in the departments of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Gironde and Dordogne, in the south-west of France.
Several rivers, especially in the Indre-et-Loire department, are at risk of overflowing their banks. The rivers Vienne and Creuze are at their highest level in a century. More than a hundred people have already been evacuated in that department, including 73 residents of a residential care center. One person, a kayaker, has also gone missing, Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin confirmed.
A total of 34 affected municipalities of the department have announced a local protection plan, more than 5,000 people may experience inconvenience. A dozen roads have been closed by the rising water. In some municipalities there is no drinking water available and the government distributes drinking water.
The prefecture says 450 firefighters have been deployed to deal with the crisis. According to the local government, national reinforcement is also being sent. “The Red Cross and civil protection have been mobilized and will prepare sleeping places in the event of an evacuation,” it said.
