€500m for flood defence

LESSONS drawn from last year’s Xynthia flood disaster, which killed 53, and the Var floods, which killed 25, have led to a new €500 million defence plan across France.

Ecology secretary Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet revealed the plan one year after the Xynthia storm swamped the west coast and flooded large areas of the Vendée and Charente-Maritime.

It contains new coastal and river defences with reinforced dykes, better weather warnings and improved dyke maintenance.

Ms Kosciusko-Morizet said they also aimed to stop new building in danger areas and to strengthen flood prevention plans.

They will revise plans for 242 priority communes and beef up 68; reinforce 1,200km of dykes at €1m per kilometre; set up a new Météo France flood alert, plus a €10.4m weather radar; and include an extra 600km in the 20,800km river alert scheme.

Ms Kosciusko-Morizet said they had to develop a new risk culture, as people forgot about the dangers after about seven years.