Parts of France are hit by violent storms – in places more than 600 liters of rain fell per square meter. A man died in Paris and motorways and railway lines are closed. The government in Paris set up a crisis team.
In parts of France, large amounts of rain have caused flooding, evacuations and closed motorways and railway lines. In Paris, a man was killed by a falling tree in the evening, the media reported. Also in the capital, two children aged 3 and 5 were injured.
Schools remain closed
The weather service Météo France issued the highest red warning level for six departments in the southern half of the country, and the orange warning level was declared in 34 departments.
In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, around 900 people and several schools had to be evacuated, and television images showed flooded highways, supermarkets and cars floating in the water. A number of schools and kindergartens in the region were closed up to and including Saturday.
Railway lines and motorways closed
The motorway and the railway line between the southern French city of Lyon and Saint-Étienne in the southwest were interrupted. The state railway SNCF said that no trains would be able to run between the two cities for several days.
According to the prefecture, it was also unclear when the highway would be open again. The motorway operator Vinci Autoroutes warned in the evening of possible disruptions on over 30 French motorways.
Hundreds of firefighters on duty
According to the Interior Ministry, 1,500 firefighters were on duty. Everything will be done to help the people affected, said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau in Paris. Authorities strongly warned against venturing into flooded areas on foot or by car.
There was also extreme rainfall in Paris; according to meteorologists, more precipitation fell in one hour than usual in two weeks. Some metro stations were closed due to flooding.
More than 600 liters per square meter
“We are dealing with a situation that is unprecedented on its scale,” said Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Locally, more than 600 liters of rain per square meter fell within 48 hours, which was “absolutely massive”. “This hasn’t happened in living memory.”
The minister warned: “We are faced with events related to climate change that we will experience more and more regularly, we must prepare for them.” A crisis team was set up in the ministry. All relevant services would be mobilized, it said.
47 Trapped evacuated from supermarket
After a supermarket in the town of Givors on the Rhône was flooded, in which 47 people were temporarily trapped in the evening, the supermarket chain Carrefour closed other of its stores in Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Antibes as a precaution.
As Carrefour managing director Alexandre Bompard announced, there were initially 39 employees as well as eight customers and employees of other stores on the upper floor of the submerged supermarket. They were taken out of the building by the fire department in the evening.