Floods LATEST: Residents in Southwest France urged to stay home as waters rise
Two départements in south west France are on red alert for floods, as prolonged rainfall in the region takes its toll.
In its early afternoon weather update, national forecaster Météo-France upgraded weather warnings in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Landes from orange to red alert - its highest level - with nine further départements remaining on orange alert for a range of weather events.
A new peak of the Nive in Bayonne - which broke its banks earlier in the day reached a record high of 6.26m today, breaking its previous highest level of 5.15m set during the floods of December 2018 - is expected at about 10pm, authorities have said, warning residents and visitors to avoid the town centre. It is feared the new highest peak level may be broken again later on Friday.
🔴 #Alertemeteo rouge crues : point sur la situation
L'accès au centre-ville est FORTEMENT DÉCONSEILLÉ jusqu'à demain inclus ⚠#BayonneMaVille ⬇
— VilleDeBayonne (@VilleDeBayonne) December 10, 2021
Elsewhere, the red flood risk in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments concerns a single watercourse: the Adour, upstream from Bayonne, in an area known as the Bec du Gave, according to floods watchdog Vigicrues.
🌧 Images très impressionnantes des #inondations à Peyrehorade dans les #Landes, secteur où les deux gaves se rejoignent et placé en vigilance ROUGE. 🔴 (photos Michel Polycarpe) pic.twitter.com/fB3WtSS7Xb
— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) December 10, 2021
Meanwhile, officials in Laruns were to decide this afternoon whether to evacuate some of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques' village's 2,200 inhabitants as flood waters continue to rise.
The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques had earlier warned against travel in the département after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, after part of the A63 motorway near Bayonne was temporarily closed because of rising water. The road - a major artery between France and Spain - reopened shortly after 3pm.
#A63
✅La préfecture vous informe que l'autoroute #A63 est de nouveau OUVERTE dans le sens France/Espagne entre Bayonne Nord (échangeur n°6) et Bayonne Sud (échangeur n°5).@Radio1077, @VINCIAutoroutes
— Préfet des Pyrénées-Atlantiques (@Prefet64) December 10, 2021
There will be little respite in the next few hours, département prefect Eric Spitz warned. He said that forecasts predicted another 140mm of rain are expected in Laruns and 80mm in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the next few hours
He told BFMTV that '50 people' had to be evacuated from Petit Bayonne early on Friday morning, at the confluence of the Nive and the Adour, as well as a crèche, after the River Nive burst its banks.
Meanwhile an earlier landslide forced residents of a village near the border with Spain to flee their homes, after the equivalent of two to three weeks’ rain fell overnight in in the Basque Country.
By 4am on Friday, 122.8mm of rain was recorded in Laruns, 92.1mm in Iraty, 86.2mm in Larrau and 63.2mm in Cambo-les-Bains.
READ ALSO ‘Atmospheric river’ prompts flood and avalanche alerts in southwest France
Further east, municipal buildings responsible for the management of urban rainwater are inaccessible in Tarbes, Hautes-Pyrénées. "We ask you to be extra vigilant today, especially near waterways," the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénnées agglomeration, warned.
A press release said that 18 primary schools in the département and two colleges - in Pontacq and Baïgorry - had been closed because of the bad weather, while a nursery and a retirement home near the river were evacuated.
The prefecture said that 148 firefighters and 62 police officers were dealing with a total of 230 call-outs, including 70 that were ongoing on Friday morning.
Attention ⚠️ alerte rouge crue à partir de 8h30 #BayonneMaVille bords de Nive alerte 🚨 évacuation véhicules motos bords de Nive fermeture de la Crèche du Quai Chaho pic.twitter.com/xU90tOLNNP
— VilleDeBayonne (@VilleDeBayonne) December 10, 2021
A crisis unit has been opened in the city and the prefecture has called on people to avoid travelling in the area. Access to the river Nive is prohibited.
The départemental prefecture also urged residents to observe "the greatest vigilance" and "avoid travel". It also said that electronic devices should be unplugged and to avoid basements.
"Damaging overflows" have also been reported on the Nivelle, the Saison, the Gaves d'Oloron and Pau, the Adour, and the Arros.
In addition, landslides in Biriatou, south of popular resort of Hendaye, along the Spanish border, forced about 20 residents to be evacuated.
Seven other départements in southwest and southeastern France remain on orange weather alerts: Ariège, Haute-Garonne, and Hautes-Pyrénées for heavy rainfall and floods; Gers, and Hautes-Pyrénées for flooding; while the Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Isère, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Haute-Savoie are also on avalanche watch.
The southeastern départements are also on alert for snow and ice.
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In its early afternoon weather update, national forecaster Météo-France upgraded weather warnings in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Landes from orange to red alert - its highest level - with nine further départements remaining on orange alert for a range of weather events.
A new peak of the Nive in Bayonne - which broke its banks earlier in the day reached a record high of 6.26m today, breaking its previous highest level of 5.15m set during the floods of December 2018 - is expected at about 10pm, authorities have said, warning residents and visitors to avoid the town centre. It is feared the new highest peak level may be broken again later on Friday.
🔴 #Alertemeteo rouge crues : point sur la situation
— VilleDeBayonne (@VilleDeBayonne) December 10, 2021
L'accès au centre-ville est FORTEMENT DÉCONSEILLÉ jusqu'à demain inclus ⚠#BayonneMaVille ⬇
Elsewhere, the red flood risk in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments concerns a single watercourse: the Adour, upstream from Bayonne, in an area known as the Bec du Gave, according to floods watchdog Vigicrues.
🌧 Images très impressionnantes des #inondations à Peyrehorade dans les #Landes, secteur où les deux gaves se rejoignent et placé en vigilance ROUGE. 🔴 (photos Michel Polycarpe) pic.twitter.com/fB3WtSS7Xb
— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) December 10, 2021
Meanwhile, officials in Laruns were to decide this afternoon whether to evacuate some of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques' village's 2,200 inhabitants as flood waters continue to rise.
The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques had earlier warned against travel in the département after heavy rains caused widespread flooding, after part of the A63 motorway near Bayonne was temporarily closed because of rising water. The road - a major artery between France and Spain - reopened shortly after 3pm.
#A63
— Préfet des Pyrénées-Atlantiques (@Prefet64) December 10, 2021
✅La préfecture vous informe que l'autoroute #A63 est de nouveau OUVERTE dans le sens France/Espagne entre Bayonne Nord (échangeur n°6) et Bayonne Sud (échangeur n°5).@Radio1077, @VINCIAutoroutes
There will be little respite in the next few hours, département prefect Eric Spitz warned. He said that forecasts predicted another 140mm of rain are expected in Laruns and 80mm in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the next few hours
He told BFMTV that '50 people' had to be evacuated from Petit Bayonne early on Friday morning, at the confluence of the Nive and the Adour, as well as a crèche, after the River Nive burst its banks.
Meanwhile an earlier landslide forced residents of a village near the border with Spain to flee their homes, after the equivalent of two to three weeks’ rain fell overnight in in the Basque Country.
By 4am on Friday, 122.8mm of rain was recorded in Laruns, 92.1mm in Iraty, 86.2mm in Larrau and 63.2mm in Cambo-les-Bains.
READ ALSO ‘Atmospheric river’ prompts flood and avalanche alerts in southwest France
Further east, municipal buildings responsible for the management of urban rainwater are inaccessible in Tarbes, Hautes-Pyrénées. "We ask you to be extra vigilant today, especially near waterways," the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénnées agglomeration, warned.
A press release said that 18 primary schools in the département and two colleges - in Pontacq and Baïgorry - had been closed because of the bad weather, while a nursery and a retirement home near the river were evacuated.
The prefecture said that 148 firefighters and 62 police officers were dealing with a total of 230 call-outs, including 70 that were ongoing on Friday morning.
Attention ⚠️ alerte rouge crue à partir de 8h30 #BayonneMaVille bords de Nive alerte 🚨 évacuation véhicules motos bords de Nive fermeture de la Crèche du Quai Chaho pic.twitter.com/xU90tOLNNP
— VilleDeBayonne (@VilleDeBayonne) December 10, 2021
A crisis unit has been opened in the city and the prefecture has called on people to avoid travelling in the area. Access to the river Nive is prohibited.
The départemental prefecture also urged residents to observe "the greatest vigilance" and "avoid travel". It also said that electronic devices should be unplugged and to avoid basements.
"Damaging overflows" have also been reported on the Nivelle, the Saison, the Gaves d'Oloron and Pau, the Adour, and the Arros.
In addition, landslides in Biriatou, south of popular resort of Hendaye, along the Spanish border, forced about 20 residents to be evacuated.
Seven other départements in southwest and southeastern France remain on orange weather alerts: Ariège, Haute-Garonne, and Hautes-Pyrénées for heavy rainfall and floods; Gers, and Hautes-Pyrénées for flooding; while the Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Isère, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Haute-Savoie are also on avalanche watch.
The southeastern départements are also on alert for snow and ice.
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