Pas-de-Calais is once again placed on orange alert for rain-flooding and high water this Monday, November 20. The precipitation risks reactivating the rise in water levels after three days of recession.
In addition to the active orange rain-flood vigilance in Pas-de-Calais, there is a new orange flood vigilance. The department was benefiting from a lull and had seen the decline in water levels progress for three days, but the return of precipitation this Monday, November 20, once again raises the risk of rivers overflowing.
The rain-flood warning is in effect until 1 p.m. this Monday. 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 Météo France. The rains will increase in intensity throughout the morning but should ease significantly in the early afternoon. Already 5 to 10 mm of water has fallen in the south of the department and the expected accumulations are between 10 and 20 mm in just three hours.
Not particularly violent, the rains will still “generate significant new increases in levels on the waterways of Pas-de-Calais” according to the Vigicrues agency. “The levels of damaging overflows should be reached gradually from mid-afternoon on the upstream parts, and from Monday evening on the more downstream parts,” she specifies. Six watercourses in Pas-de-Calais are affected by orange vigilance: the Liane, the Hem, the Aa, the Lys upstream – Laquette, the Lawe – Clarence upstream and the Canche.
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.
