Homes evacuated and cars submerged as flash floods hit south of France
Alerts continue as schools and roads are closed. Several rivers have burst their banks
Dramatic videos showing drivers rescued during the floods have been recorded, as shown in inset photo. Background archive photo shows Narbonne and the Canal de la Robine
Botond Horvath/Shutterstock/Kazaa Infos Radars
Heightened tier-three weather alerts remain in force across southern France today as heavy rainfall that began over the weekend continues.
Several rivers in Aude and Hérault have burst their banks, leading to powerful currents running through towns and cities and submerging cars.
Homes in parts of Narbonne (Aude) were evacuated on Sunday evening (January 18) as a precaution against the risk of flooding. Residents of single-storey houses in two districts – Maraussan and La Mayolle – were asked to move to nearby emergency shelters.
People living in several surrounding communes were also evacuated, with military personnel deployed to assist the operation.
Schools in Narbonne are closed today and school transport has been suspended across the commune.
Around 30 roads remain closed in the Aude department. Live information on the status can be found here.
Residents of 170 homes in the department remain without power this morning, with a further 2,500 in neighbouring Hérault also without electricity.
Despite the conditions, ‘minimal damage’ and no serious injuries are reported, the Aude department announced this morning.
“The preventative measures taken last night worked well,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general to the prefecture.
“The situation is relatively stable this morning,” she added, but more than 80 communes have enacted emergency plans due to the heavy rain.
The prefecture this morning urged people to follow safety advice and to stay indoors where possible, avoid flooded roads, and keep up to date with local weather reports.
In neighbouring Hérault, up to three months worth of rain fell over the weekend with around 300mm pouring down in some areas.
Firefighters in the affected areas were reinforced by emergency services from other departments, and dozens of callouts were made to the pompiers for non-evacuation issues.
Aude is one of four departments continuing to face heightened tier-three orange alerts for heavy rain/flash flooding this morning, with Hérault also on heightened alert for potential river flooding (of the Aude river basin).
Video shows dramatic rescue of people in submerged car
Despite the lack of major damage, impressive photos and videos of the flooding caused by the rain were shared on social media.
Further rainfall today is set to continue to affect rivers, however this is expected to be less strong than over the weekend, which should reduce the risks.
A dramatic video of a group of people rescuing two young people from a car stuck in heavy flood water has been widely shared on social media.
Water reaches up to the car’s windows and the driver and passenger need to be pulled to safety.
