- France edition
- Change edition:
- Germany |
- Norway |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
May 17, 2012
One year's worth of rain in four days
Published: 04 Nov 2011 14:24 GMT+1
Updated: 04 Nov 2011 12:46 GMT+1
Online: http://www.thelocal.fr/1673/20111104/
Heavy rain and strong winds have caused major disruption across many parts of southern France with almost a year's worth of rain falling on the Hérault department, home to the Mediterranean towns of Montpellier and Béziers.
National weather agency Météo France still had orange alerts in place, one step down from its maximum red alert, across ten southern departments on Friday morning.
Cities including Marseille, Montpellier and Lyon were all affected by the weather, which Météo France expects to worsen again on Friday evening.
In the Hérault region, 70 centimetres (27.5 inches) of rain fell in four days.
The river Hérault avoided bursting its banks and flooding the village of Laroque after rain eased overnight, although more is expected later in the day.
Elsewhere, people were evacuated from their homes as the danger of flooding increased.
A number of schools were closed across the region on Friday as transport was made impossible by flooded roads. Train services have also been disrupted and drivers have been warned to exercise "extreme caution."
France Télécom said in a statement it had mobilized 1,000 engineers to deal with network problems caused by the storms. The company said 4,000 lines had been cut off in the Languedoc-Roussillon region on Thursday.
Ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said the storms were exceptional. She advised local residents to avoid driving or walking on flooded roads.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter This
Photo credit: Margaux L'Hermite
Hollande has turbulent first day
Francois Hollande had quite a first day as French president: swearing in, Champs Elysees parade in torrential rain, then a lightning strike to his plane en route to meet the world's most powerful woman.
READ »
COMMENT »
Photo credit: Jean-Marc Ayrault
Hollande names new prime minister
French President Francois Hollande named Jean-Marc Ayrault, the head of the Socialist bloc in parliament and mayor of Nantes, as his prime minister on Tuesday.
READ »
COMMENT »
Photo credit: Margaux L'Hermite
Hollande to take over French presidency
Socialist Francois Hollande will be sworn in as France's president on Tuesday before naming a prime minister and dashing to Germany to battle with Berlin over how to tackle Europe's debt crisis.
READ »
COMMENT »
Photo credit: WTO
One year on: things only get worse for DSK
On Monday, exactly a year will have passed since Dominique Strauss Kahn's arrest on charges of trying to rape a maid in a luxury New York hotel room.
READ »
COMMENT »
Photo credit: PuzzleScot/The hull of UK aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth Dockyard, Scotland
France: UK jet change 'threatens carrier deal'
France said Friday it regretted Britain's decision to reverse its choice of fighter jets for future aircraft carriers, with the result that French warplanes will no longer be able to use the ships.
READ (1 comments) »
COMMENT »
Hollande-Merkel meeting: no decisions expected
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold talks on the eurozone crisis with French President Francois Hollande in Berlin on Tuesday after his inauguration, her spokesman said.
READ »
COMMENT »
Photo credit: Dirk Vorderstraße
Germany: Europe's fiscal deal 'still stands'
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Friday warned that new elections did not invalidate European Union's deal on tighter fiscal policy.
READ »
COMMENT »
Hollande's wealth: less bling than Sarkozy
President-elect Francois Hollande does not own a car or shares, but is still far from the breadline, according to his new wealth declaration.
READ (1 comments) »
COMMENT »
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UKForex Currency Converter |
- 16/05 Two held for shooting imam in northern Sweden »
- 16/05 Comedian Al Pitcher in the Local Lockdown »
More news from Sweden at thelocal.se
- 16/05 Merkel kicks out minister after election disaster »
- 16/05 Holiday weather offers little to celebrate »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 26/03 Swiss customs seize Roman sarcophagus »
- 26/03 Roche extends hostile $5.7 billion Illumina bid »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.