500mm of rain in south-east storms
Roads closed, campsites evacuated and tourists rescued as thunderstorms sweep across south-east
STORM alerts were lifted across the south-east this morning after waves of thunderstorms caused damage and closed roads in seven departments, but left no one hurt.
Hardest hit were the Gard and the Ardèche, which had both been put on red alert.
Nearly 500mm of rain was dumped on the Gard in three storms over 24 hours. No one was hurt in the downpours, which saw several secondary roads closed and a hall opened at Savignargues to shelter people who had been stranded.
More than a thousand people were evacuated from campsites in the southern Ardèche near Rosières, when the Beaume river burst its banks after rising 1.7metres. They were taken to community halls for shelter. Pompiers dealt with 240 call-outs to help people stranded.
At Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, three Belgian tourists were taken to safety after being left stranded on the wrong side of the river Ardèche when it rose 6m.
The orange and red alerts were lifted by Météo France through the night after the storms passed through the Var and Alpes-Maritimes early this morning.
In June, 25 people were killed, including two swept away by floodwaters, after storms raged round the Var town of Les Draguignan.
Related story:
25 dead in Var flooding disaster
Photo: © La Loutre - Fotolia.com
