Storms wreak havoc on the Alpes-Maritimes

Scenes in Auribeau-sur-Siagne over the weekend Copyright Frederic Perez

The warnings came on Friday, as the Var region was put on high alert. By Saturday morning, the sea began to rise from Menton to Antibes, forcing the closure of roads and the Cap 3000 car park. Three hundred people were evacuated from Pégomas, Aurieau, and La Roquette sur Siagne.

On Saturday night, a TGV train travelling from Marseille to Cannes was finally able to leave Agay, after being stranded there for 22 hours. At the same time, two people were found in Saint-Raphaël suffering from hypothermia after being washed away by the heavy rain.

Between midnight Thursday and midnight Saturday, Météo France had recorded 240 millimetres of rainfall  in Cassols, 138 millimetres in Mandelieu and 297 millimetres in Saint Martine d'Entraunes. 180 firefighters and 70 police had been deployed to deal with the large number of calls for help. 

And there was no reprieve on Sunday. Three rivers in the Var continued to rise rapidly. At 2.30am, Antibes, Biot and Villeneueve-Loubet were put on flood warning. The Mayor of Biot sounded the town’s bells four times, signaling evacuation for the neighborhoods of La Romaine and des Clausonnes. By midday Sunday, sixty people, including 10 children, had been taken to community halls for refuge, and 3,900 homes in the Var were without power. 

Remarkably, only two deaths were recorded. A couple aged in their 70s from Bagnols-en-Forêt were attempting to pump water out of their basement, but were overcome by carbon monoxide fumes. 

Transport links were severly affected, with trees and mudslides closing Var roads, while the A8 Exit 47 to Villeneuve-Loubet was completely flooded. Train services were also disrupted, with les Arcs and Saint Raphaël stations both closed at around 6pm yesterday evening. It is believed that almost 2000 passengers were prevented from travelling.

While conditions began to calm in the Alpes-Maritimes yesterday evening, the situation in the east of the Var continued to worsen. By 5pm, nearly 300 people were still unable to return to their homes. The Var River remains under constant surveillance, as new rainfall over Sunday night is expected to have caused a further water level increase.

This morning, both the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var remain on high alert, with several roads still closed in the Var region. The RD25, 45 (between Correns Montfort and between Chateauvert/Correns), 70, 35, 8, 7, 268, 23, 28 and 24 were all closed, disrupting morning traffic. The RD34 Bras/Chateauvert has been reopened, as well as the RD554 between Laison Châteauvert-Barjols, with a diversion operating via St Maximin.

Drivers have been advised to take extra care, keeping an eye out for fallen trees and mudslides on the roads.

To view the Riviera Times photo gallery of the recent floods, click here

Cassandra Tanti & Louise Kirby