how to explain the extraordinary flood which devastated the hameur of La Bérarde

Flooded by a torrent of mud and rock, the hamlet of Bérarde (Isère)… a few hours after a devastating flood. Under the waves, it is difficult to imagine the village streets. Some houses were gutted, others swallowed up by the river. How, in a few minutes, did the torrent burst from its bed to pour into the homes? The first cause is meteorological. “We have a conjunction of phenomena, on the one hand the rains which were very intense, added the melting of the snow”says forecaster Pierre Huat.

The overflow was notably caused by an ice jam, a dam of stones. “The accumulation of a whole pile of materials, which have just been blocked against a bridge”, describes Bruno Pellicier, the co-president of the Bérarde guides office. No casualties were reported. Four helicopters allowed the evacuation of around a hundred residents.