Red alerts for both river flooding and heavy rainfall are still active in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France, leaving thousands without running water and meaning bottled water is being distributed.
Residents have been advised to prepare ‘survival kits’ consisting of key items by local authorities, in case they need to leave their properties quickly due to sudden flooding.
The Canche has joined the Aa and Liane rivers on red alert warning for flooding, and rains are expected to last in the department into Friday (November 10) afternoon.
Warnings for river flooding could last until the end of the day.
“Remain vigilant for your loved ones and for yourself,” posted President Emmanuel Macron on X (formerly Twitter).
Elsewhere, the nearby Somme, Nord, and Seine-Maritime will face tier-three orange warnings for heavy rain until 20:00.
Over 40 departments in the west of France are facing tier-two alerts for high winds and river flooding, with the Atlantic coast potentially seeing gales of 100 km/h.
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Météo France is predicting that almost all weather warnings will disappear by Saturday, however more rain is expected in the north of France again before the start of next week.
Water supplies dwindle
It is the third day this week that Pas-de-Calais has faced a red alert warning for river flooding.
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Schools, crèches, and other educational facilities will remain closed in 200 communes across the department today, as advice to stay inside continues.
More and more people are facing a lack of water, as river water has flooded water facilities.
“There's a catchment [nearby] that is only supplying cloudy water. We can't send turbid water to water towers to supply households,” said Philippe Botte, secretary of the local water management union.
In Samur, over 5,000 residents have been without running water since Tuesday, and distributions of “two bottles of water per person per day,” are being made, said the town’s mayor Christophe Douchin.
A number of other communes are also being supplied with packs of water as their water supplies have also been compromised.
Authorities recommend ‘survival kit’
Authorities this morning advised inhabitants to prepare a ‘survival kit’ in case they need to leave their homes.
“If you have to leave quickly, the ideal thing is to have a telephone with a charged battery so that you can alert the emergency services if necessary," said Adam Beernaert, Director General of the Pas-de-Calais Civil Protection Department.
Additionally a survival kit including “something to eat, drink, keep warm, a change of clothes… and a bit of money,” should be prepared, he added.
Keys for both your home and car and important documents should also be added and the kit should be placed somewhere not susceptible to flooding but easy to reach if you need to leave quickly.
Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France
How will weekend weather affect department?
Rains from the last few days have been described as historic, with rivers breaking historic high levels and rainfall far outstripping usual averages.
“15 days of rain have been recorded in the last 24 hours,” said meteorologist Patrick Marlière.
Rainfall will continue to drift in from the English Channel today, until around 16:00 when warnings end.
A period of calm is expected on Saturday, with no rain forecast in the area. As of 09:00 today, Météo France has not issued any weather warnings for the department on Saturday.
This respite could be short-lived, however, with rainfall expected to resume on Sunday evening.
“The weather models are not reassuring for next week,” the meteorologist added.
West of France still on alert
Elsewhere, the anticipated end of weather warnings in the west of France has been delayed by one more day, with around 35 departments facing warnings.
Most of these are for strong winds, although in the south-west some tier-two warnings for river flooding remain across certain stretches of river. The Charente-Maritime is still on a level-three orange warning for river flooding from the Boutonne.
Almost all of these warnings are expected to be lifted before Saturday morning, however the weather is currently unpredictable, and some alerts that were initially expected to be lifted on Tuesday are still in place.
You can keep up to date with alerts through the official Météo Francewebsite.
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