In parts of France, large amounts of rain have led to flooding, evacuations and closed highways and railway lines. A man was killed by a falling tree in Paris on Thursday evening, the media reported. Two children aged three and five were injured.
The weather service Météo France issued the highest red warning level for six departments in the southern half of the country, and the orange warning level was declared for 34 departments.
Hundreds of people evacuated
More rain fell in the evening. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, around 900 people and several schools had to be evacuated, and television images showed flooded highways, supermarkets and cars floating in the water. A number of schools and kindergartens in the region were closed until Saturday.
The highway and railway between Lyon and Saint-Étienne were interrupted. The state railway SNCF said no trains would be able to run between the two cities for several days. According to the prefecture, it was also unclear when the highway would be open again. Motorway manager Vinci Autoroutes warned tonight of possible disruptions on more than thirty French motorways.
Thousands of firefighters on duty
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 1,500 firefighters were present and sirens sounded in several places. Everything will be done to help those affected, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in Paris. Authorities strongly warned against entering flooded areas on foot or by car.
Extreme rain also fell in Paris; according to meteorologists, more precipitation fell in one hour than normal in two weeks. Some metro stations were closed due to flooding.
“It has to do with climate change”
“We are dealing with a situation that is unprecedented in its scale,” says Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Within 48 hours, 60 centimeters of rainfall fell locally, which was “absolutely enormous”. “This hasn’t happened in living memory.” The minister warned: “We are collectively confronted with episodes related to climate change that we will experience more and more often. A crisis team has been set up at the ministry. All relevant services would be mobilized, the report said.
After a supermarket in the town of Givors on the Rhône flooded, temporarily trapping 47 people in the evening, supermarket chain Carrefour closed other stores in Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Antibes as a precaution. As Carrefour director Alexandre Bompard announced, there were initially 39 employees and 8 customers and employees from other stores on the upper floor of the sunken supermarket. They were removed from the building by the fire brigade in the evening.
Source: Krone
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