Photos: Dangerous weather alert issued as severe flooding hits Brittany

Updated 16:64: High (orange) weather alerts have also been issued in Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique due to the risk of coastal flooding.

A dangerous weather alert has been issued in Brittany for flooding as depression Herminia brings winds of up to 120km/h, complicating recovery efforts in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn.

The effects of Storm Eowyn were not as widespread in France as in the UK or Ireland - but in Brittany, and the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in particular, the storm was devastating. 

Up to 15 days’ average rain fell on Saturday alone, causing the department’s already completely gorged watercourses to overflow.

In the Breton capital of Rennes 400 people had to be evacuated from their homes on Saturday as the river Ille burst its banks.

“We issued an evacuation order yesterday (Saturday) evening for four streets (...), homes that are behind a dyke that normally protects them, and here the water has gone over the dyke,” announced mayor Nathalie Appéré at a press conference on Sunday (January 26).

“After a slight lull, further rain this Sunday is set to cause more problems with many rivers, which are already saturated. We expect more flooding.”

The flooding, which Ms Appéré said was already worse than the devastating floods of 1981, is forecast to get worse. 

“Unfortunately, the peak flood level has not yet been reached’, she said. “The water will recede slowly and that will probably not start until Wednesday.”

On Monday morning, the river Vilaine reached a depth of 3m58 - beating its previous record set in 2021.

“We expect the water level to rise over [Sunday] night and [on Monday]”, said sub-prefect Jean-Christophe Boursin on Sunday evening.

For the duration of the dangerous weather alert the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture warns people to:

• Follow the weather situation on the Météo-France website

• Keep up to date with river conditions at www.vigicrues.gouv.fr

• Find out about traffic conditions on the Bison Futé website

• Be vigilant if you are near a watercourse or an area that is usually subject to flooding

• Stay away from watercourses and avoid the most exposed waterside activities

• Respect any traffic restrictions or diversions that have been put in place

• Do not walk or drive on a road that is even partially under water

High (orange) weather alerts have also been raised due to flooding in the neighbouring and nearby departments of Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Orne, Calvados and Eure.

British sailor missing

Further south, a 73 year-old British sailor was declared missing on his boat following a distress call on Sunday at 80km off the coast of Gironde.

The man, who has not been publicly named, had radioed that he was “well” on Friday night, signalling his intention to continue his route despite the danger presented by Storm Eowyn.

A distress signal from the yacht was detected on Saturday afternoon.

“At 17:30 our helicopter arrived on the scene to find the yacht gutted”, announced the Préfecture maritime (Prémar) de l'Atlantique. “The winch operators discovered the rescue raft empty.”

A French Navy Falcon 50 and a Caiman helicopter, as well as two diverted rescue vessels, joined the search.

However, the search was suspended at around 01:30 on Sunday morning.