France – Thunderstorms Trigger Flash Floods, 50mm of Rain Falls in 1 Hour

by in Europe, News

Thunderstorms and heavy rain crossed northern France and into Belgium from 01 June 2021, causing flash floods and mudslides. Météo-France reported 55mm of rain fell in 1 hour at Joigny in Yonne department on 02 June 2021.

Heavy rain triggered flooding or mudslides in several departments of northern France from 01 June, in particular the departments of Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Maritime, Oise  and Meuse.

Hundreds of calls were made to emergency services. However the situation was complicated by a telecoms network outage that left people unable to reach emergency services by the standard telephone numbers. The ministry of Interior said via Social Media, “Some 15-17-18-112 emergency call centers are having difficulty receiving calls. Everything is being done to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

In Seine-et-Marne department, flash floods were reported in city of Thieux, while images shared on Social Media showed flood waters raging through the town of Doudeville.

In Seine-Maritime department, rains caused flooding in Darnétal and Beuzevillette, where homes were damaged.

Meanwhile in Oise department, at least 10 roads were closed and firefighters carried out 105 weather-related interventions, mostly in Chambly commune where several neighbourhoods were flooded and several families had to be relocated. In Breteuil commune the roof of a supermarket collapsed, fortunately without causing injury.

In Meuse department, 2 hikers were swept away by flash floods in Fresnois, near Montmédy. Police and rescuers later found the couple who did not require medical care.

In Belgium, local media reported roads were flooded in areas of Floreffe.

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