Record floods in France – more than 30 days of high water

The highest, red flood alerts have been declared in four departments located in the Loire, Garonne and Maine river basins in France. Rivers are rising rapidly due to torrential rainfall that will last at least until Thursday. The government has already announced the introduction of a state of emergency.

Floods have lasted for more than a month

The current floods in France are a direct consequence of a series of violent storms that have hit southwestern Europe in recent days. They have led to rising river levels and soil saturation, which according to Météo-France has now reached the highest moisture index since such data began to be collected in 1959. The heavy rainfall that has been battering the country on the Loire since the beginning of the week is the proverbial last straw.

We have broken all records, commented Lucie Chadourne-Facon, director of Vigicrues, the flood monitoring service in France. We definitely cannot speak of a return to normal in the coming days, she added, explaining that French rivers are currently extremely sensitive even to the slightest rainfall, and that any new disturbances continuously replenish floodwater levels.

Concern was also expressed by Monique Barbut, Minister for Ecological Transition, who stated that the floods have already lasted more than 30 days. This is something we have never seen before, she added.

Entrepreneurs count their losses

The Garonne has already overflowed its banks, flooding homes and cutting off entire villages. According to Météo-France, in addition to the red alerts currently in force in Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne and Maine-et-Loire, an orange flood alert has been declared in twelve more departments and a yellow alert in more than 70. The threat will persist at least until tomorrow.

Over the weekend in Lot-et-Garonne alone, more than 50 roads were impassable and 19,000 homes were left without electricity. In Cadillac-sur-Garonne in Gironde, on the night of 15 to 16 February, the river level reached 8.75 m, significantly exceeding the flood levels of March 2018 (6.12 m) and March 2006 (6.49 m). At the Angers Basse Chaîne station, the water level in the Maine River stood at 5.83 m, higher than the flood level recorded in February 2021 (5.31 m). Later today it is expected to exceed the level recorded in January 2000 (6.12 m).

Minister Barbut announced that the government plans to introduce a state of emergency to speed up the processing of damage claims and the payment of due compensation. In the towns of Marmande, La Réole and Cadillac-sur-Garonne, the floodwave inundated shops, spas and restaurants, exposing owners to losses amounting to thousands of euros and significant loss of income due to closures.

France prepares for the worst

According to many experts, the exceptionally rainy start of the year in France is closely linked to climate change and increased humidity in warmer air.

Such phenomena will become increasingly frequent in the future, said François Gemenne, co-author of the sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in an interview with Les Echos. In his view, even if the rise in global temperatures is limited to 2°C, France can expect local increases of 3 to 3.5°C, which will translate into a 20 to 25 percent increase in humidity, additional rainfall and greater flood risk.

Minister Barbut, in an interview with the television channel LCI, stressed that today’s priority is the implementation of the adaptation policy adopted last year, which is intended to strengthen the resilience of French regions to climate change and prepare them for a maximum expected temperature increase of 4°C.