in Seine-et-Marne, weariness and concern over the recurrence of floods

A state of natural disaster will be declared in Crécy-la-Chapelle, where many residents were victims of flooding due to the Kirk depression. Recurring floods are causing concern, particularly as the rainy season approaches.

After the major floods in Crécy-la-Chapelle, in Seine-et-Marne, it is now time to take stock and clean up, as the flood has begun to recede. Nearly 200 people from the center of the town had to be evacuated. There was more than 1.3 meters of water in some places. Floods linked to a strong flood of the Grand Morin river. A state of natural disaster will be declared. A recurring phenomenon that worries residents as we approach the rainy season. But now we must prepare for what comes next.

Boots on her feet, no choice, Prescillia retrieves her dog stuck on the upper floor of her house. This is not the first flood she has experienced, far from it, but she had never seen this before. “Even in 2016, it wasn’t that much, that’s extraordinary. That’s four times a year. At some point, insurance companies no longer want…”

Sarah too was impressed by the rapid rise of the water. This bad experience made him realize that he had to anticipate better. “We will especially try to prepare for the future because we realized that we were not at all prepared. The candles were lucky, we don’t have a stove, we didn’t have no rubber boots either.”

“We had neighbors who talked to us about sandbags, we didn’t understand. We had never experienced that, so we said to ourselves: ‘What do you mean, sand?'”

Sarah, affected resident

at franceinfo

So we learned a lot of things in terms of survivalism on the job, continues this residentbut it’s true that these are not obvious and logical things, we don’t necessarily think about them. If it starts again often, we will think about leaving.”

Some residents fear new episodes of flooding with the start of the rainy season. Jean-Yves is worried to see residents and traders leaving. “If the city becomes dead, there is no more life and real estate falls, everything falls. It’s a simplistic economy but perhaps we need to think about the future and work on water retention. It may not be a miracle solution, but it is a solution.”

On site, the president of the region Valérie Pécresse was welcomed by the mayor of the town. “We are only at the end of summer and we already have unusual floods for this season, so we know very well that the winter is going to be difficult, we must not hide our faces,” launches Christine Autenzio. On the verge of tears, she tells him of her distress.

“There, I have the impression that we have to start all over again. And I am in the same state as the residents and traders today.”

Christine Autenzio, mayor of Crécy-la-Chapelle

to Valérie Pécresse

Valérie Pécresse announced that the Ile-de-France region would help the affected municipalities with the flood fund, a fund which allows, for example, municipalities to purchase pumping equipment or even begin the renovation of public buildings without waiting for payment. insurance, but above all it calls for changing the flood law and transferring jurisdiction to the region. “We must stop giving flood jurisdiction to rural intercommunalities of 15 000 or 20 000 inhabitants, who absolutely do not have the means to put in place the drainage of the territory, nor the necessary water development tools”, she believes.

In the meantime, the decline could still last several days, according to the firefighters, who hope to quickly begin the pumping phase. As for the elementary school which was closed on Friday, the mayor of the town indicated that she hoped to be able to reopen it on Tuesday.