situation update on floods in the Center-West

Météo France maintains red vigilance for floods in Indre-et-Loire and Vienne on Sunday in its latest report. A kayaker is missing in Haute-Vienne.

Météo France maintains red vigilance for floods in Indre-et-Loire and Vienne on Sunday March 31, in its latest report. 40 to 60 mm of water fell in the two departments, which represents 20 to 30 days of precipitation, Vigicrues told franceinfo.

Vigicrues explains that the decline will be slow due to further rain expected during the night from Sunday to Monday. In addition, four departments (Charente, Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Dordogne) are also kept on orange alert for floods.

A kayaker missing in Haute-Vienne

Emergency services are still looking for a kayaker, seen in difficulty on the Vienne, near Saint-Priest-sous-Aixe, about ten kilometers from Limoges. Significant relief resources were deployed on Saturday. Suspended on Saturday evening, the search resumed this Sunday, the prefecture told France Bleu Limousin. For the rest, the situation is now under control this Sunday morning, where 43 people were evacuated on Saturday, notably in Magnac-Laval.

A hundred-year flood expected in Indre-et-Loire

In Indre-et-Loire, two rivers have been in flood since Saturday: the Vienne and the Creuse which should reach their peak this Sunday morning. The prefecture announces to France Bleu Touraine that a hundred-year flood is expected in the department. The level risks approaching that observed in 1913 with peaks expected at more than 7 meters around 11 a.m. in Descartes and above 5 meters in Chinon around 8 p.m., specifies the prefecture on X (ex-Twitter). According to Vigicrues, the last time Vienne reached such a level in Descartes was in 1923.

In a situation update dated Saturday evening, the Indre-et-Loire prefecture indicated that “34 municipalities [étaient] affected by the flood. The authorities therefore invite vigilance in this 50 kilometer zone from Chambon to Candes-Saint-Martin, passing through Chinon – an area in which around 5,000 inhabitants live.

This Sunday morning, part of the town of Nouâtre was flooded, noted the France Bleu Touraine reporter on site. Faced with rising waters, the Île-Bouchard nursing home, near Chinon, was evacuated on Saturday evening and 90 residents were transferred to establishments in Tours and Loches, by decision of the Regional Health Agency . In Chinon, the situation is under control this Sunday where the level of the Vienne reaches 4.80 meters, which is below the forecasts of Vigicrues and the last rise in water levels which occurred at the beginning of March, reports the reporter of France Inter on site.

In Vienne, the level of the Creuse continues to rise

In Vienne, the decline of the Gartempe, to the south of the department, continues this Sunday morning, while the Creuse continues to see its level rise around La Roche-Posay, Angles-sur-l’Anglin or even Buxeuil, according to information from France Bleu Poitou. This Sunday at 7 a.m., in Leugny, the prefecture notes that the level of the Vienne has reached “7.12 meters this Sunday morning”against “5.95 meters Saturday at 11 p.m.” and even “2 meters usually”.

In La Roche-Posay, where several homes were flooded, the La Creuse river reached 6.78 meters, thus exceeding the 1982 flood (6.45m). “We’ve never seen this, it’s the first time we’ve seen something like this”, reacts to the microphone of France Bleu Poitou Jean-Claude Boblin, municipal councilor. Around twenty residents had to be evacuated due to rising waters, according to the France Bleu Poitou reporter on site.

More than a hundred firefighters and police were mobilized on Saturday to deal with the bad weather. Reinforcements from neighboring departments are expected during the day. Due to floods, several roads were cut between Chauvigny and Bonneuil-Matours and around forty homes evacuated in the department. Pumping stations were flooded in the area around La Trimouille, in the south-east of Vienne. The authorities therefore recommend that residents no longer drink tap water in eight municipalities. Bottled water distributions are being put in place, specifies France Bleu Poitou.