PHOTOS: Floods across south-west France as rivers burst banks
Departments including Dordogne have seen rivers increase by more than five metres above usual levels
Many roads in the department have been closed
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Rainfall across France has been almost incessant in many parts of the country and particularly in the south-west and Alps.
Although not as powerful as during this autumn’s cévenol storms, the duration of the rain has caused rivers to burst their banks.
This has been particularly prominent in the south-west, where a number of rivers including the Garonne, Dordogne and Vézère have been on heightened alert for high levels since Monday.
See photos of the flooding shared on social media below.
Bergerac sees flooding, roads closed
The official social media pages of Bergerac, Dordogne, shared several photos of flooding in the town centre:
“The Dordogne has continued to rise,” says the post “the normal view from the belvedere is almost no longer visible. Do not cross the barriers and do not approach the riverbanks.”
Elsewhere in the department, children were taken to school by tractor with the roads too flooded to accommodate their usual transport.
Roads have become increasingly difficult to drive on with drivers urged to be careful and check their route before leaving.
The RD6089 near Terrasson was flooded this morning, and near the village of Bugue, all the roads adjacent to the Vézère river are closed off.
Town close to famous caves threatened
One of the towns most affected in the Dordogne is Montignac, situated close to the famous Lascaux cave system. The river in this area has risen over 5.4 metres above its usual height since Monday.
It is expected to peak at 6 metres higher than usual around midday today (December 14), before gradually falling.
The rapid increase has led to flooding in the town but the Lascaux caves have not been affected.
Unlike with the floods earlier this year in the Pas-de-Calais department, emergency measures have not been announced by the government as fewer residencies have been affected.
Floods should stop soon
Today (December 14) will see the peak of the flooding, as from this evening an anticyclone wind will move in from the north-west and cover much of France, including the south-west.
The winds will bring cold, but dry weather to the area, allowing river levels to recede.
Weather experts warn, however, that rivers may flood again if heavy rains fall at Christmas.
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