France Floods – 5 Dead, 3000 Evacuated

France has once again been bombarded with storms and heavy rain, causing floods across the south west of the country. Around 92 mm of rain fell in Perpignan, the capital of the Pyrenees-Orientales department, between 29 and 30 November 2014.

Levels of the Agly River in the Pyrenees-Orientales department were so high that between 2,000 to 3,000 people were evacuated from their homes along the river on Sunday 30 November 2014. Most of the evacuations were near the towns of Rivesaltes, Argeles-sur-Mer and Barcares. Around 400 people were also evacuated near the town of Canet in the Aude department.

Five Days of Flooding, Five Fatalities

Five people have died in the latest floods that began on 27 November. One woman was found dead on 27 November in La Londe, Var department, while 3 people remained missing. Three more deaths were reported soon after.

The fifth victim was an elderly man who, according to AFP, died of heart failure yesterday after his car was caught up in flood water in Rivesaltes, Pyrenees-Orientales.

File photo: Floods in France. Photo: Le Centre d'Information sur l'Eau
File photo: Floods in France. Photo: Le Centre d’Information sur l’Eau