Since the collapse of the rue de la Rousselle, the summer has had time to pass but not the trauma. Stones and rubble still litter the ground in front of 19 and 21 which are now part of the history of this street which was, until then, known to have housed the family of a certain Michel de Montaigne. On this stormy night from Sunday 20 to Monday 21 June, these two buildings collapsed and have uprooted 130 inhabitants of this street. From this Tuesday, October 2, the municipality will be able to initiate the clearing of the track.
These operations must last at least four weeks, “until the end of November, or even the beginning of December “, expands the deputy mayor of Bordeaux in charge of housing and habitat, Stéphane Pfeiffer. Rubble should be removed with care as some could support heavier stones. “It is necessary to pay attention to this for the workers, so that there is no risk“, warns the elected. All this work will be filmed and modeled in 3D for the needs of the investigation. For the moment, he ensures that the origin has still not been determined.
Who wants to pay the expert?
Four months later, operations began after being delayed for several reasons. A judicial investigation was opened three weeks after the facts and an examining magistrate seized on the file. However, a few days after the collapses, two co-properties (15 and 25), helped by Me Marcilly, have appointed an expert at their own expense to be able, one day, to determine the responsibilities of each one. “It could cost us, in the long term, between 100,000 and 200,000 euros“, slips one of the inhabitants. Problem: some co-properties do not want to pay because they believe that they are less concerned.
It could cost us, in the long term, between 100,000 and 200,000 euros – an inhabitant of a joint property in the rue de la Rousselle
“We cannot substitute because it is a civil procedure“, recalls Stéphane Pfeiffer. In short: the city cannot cover the expenses incurred by the inhabitants as they have incurred them. The municipality therefore called on another expert which is duplicated but which allowed to settle the situation.
This setback greatly delayed the progress of “phase two” planned by the City. To compare, the clearance was much faster in the case of the collapse of the building on rue Planterose, in the Saint-Michel district, occurred a fortnight before those of the rue de la Rousselle. It was not until a month and a half before the rubble disappeared against more than four long months for what is one of the oldest streets in the city.
A wound still alive
During these four weeks, the victims and disaster victims will avoid the area for fear of stir up painful memories. Anne-Laure still remembers the discussions she had that evening. “With a friend, we were just talking collapses in rue Planterose a few days before and we wondered what we would do. Half an hour later, we were outside looking for victims under the rubble“, she says before being carried away by the emotion.”It is very traumatic. I don’t want to go back to this apartment anymore“, she blurted. At the time, Lieutenant-Colonel Esselin spoke of a”almost miraculous toll“about the fact that no one died.
It’s very traumatic. I don’t want to go back to this apartment anymore – Anne-Laure, resident of rue de la Rousselle
Forty owners and tenants came together this Monday noon to create a collective and bring one and the same voice to the municipality. In the room, Elena takes the floor for a moment to signify her presence. This Spanish, resident of Seville, was in the building on the fourth floor dancing with friends when the floor and ceiling suddenly gave way. “It’s still heartbreaking to talk about it“, she is satisfied to answer us, almost embarrassed by her modesty.
– Yvan Plantey
Thomas Drouffe is at the initiative of this Association of Victims and Sinistrés of Rousselle. He is now the “Elena’s relocation neighbor“. He tells about his daily life:”I discover the depth of his trauma. She panics as soon as there is a noise in the building and comes knocking on the door to ask what is going on. He is the only person who dared to talk about it. The others are terrified.“He asks that the Regional Health Agency (ARS) intervene and creates a local Collective to help victims for this tragedy.