The recession has been underway for three days in Pas-de-Calais, but it risks slowing down or even being interrupted by the arrival of new precipitation this Monday, November 20. The department is on orange rain-flood alert.
After a lull and three days of recession, Pas-de-Calais is once again placed on orange alert this Monday, November 20. The alert extends from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but it concerns rain-floods and not floods. The predicted precipitation is not exceptional for the season, but its consequences “remain difficult to assess” given the saturation of the soil with water after two weeks of flooding, warns Meteo France.
The rains could bring accumulations of 10 to 20 mm of rain in a few hours and “runoff and/or flooding could occur locally”. Vigicrues estimates in its latest bulletin that the rains should “remain moderate” but “generate further increases in levels on the most reactive waterways in the north of the country, without however generating new damaging overflows”. The declines actually slowed down this Monday.
More than 200 municipalities classified as natural disasters
205 were classified as natural disasters after the floods observed in Hauts-de-France: 181 in Pas-de-Calais and 24 in the North. This figure is however not definitive since all the affected municipalities had not yet submitted a file or had to complete it on the date of publication of the description in the Official Journal. Emmanuel Macron had promised that all municipalities which request it will be recognized as victims of a natural disaster.
The floods which began on November 6 caused many victims: the homes of 10,000 people were affected according to a regional elected official cited by Le Parisien. In addition to thousands of homes, 160 businesses, 130 businesses and 53 farms were flooded. Five people were injured. The Head of State announced on November 14 the establishment of an emergency support fund of 50 million euros to “face the first expenses” in the municipalities affected by the floods.