French authorities on Sunday deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops to search for at least eight people in the mountainous southeastern region after the catastrophic floods. Storm Alex has killed at least two people in neighboring Italy.
Floodwaters destroyed homes and roads and bridges around the city of Nice on the French Riviera after nearly a year of average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours. Nice Mayor Christian Astrosi said more than 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
On Sunday, rescuers were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to the villagers.
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Missing in France include two firefighters whose vehicle was swept away by a hurricane after a road collapsed south of the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubi. Officials fear more victims as many families were unable to reach relatives as cellphone services were shut down.
This photo shows a firefighting helicopter flying over the city of Ornavaso in northern Italian Piedmont on Sunday, Oct. 2020. (By Firefighter Vigili del Foucault, AP)
French Prime Minister Jean-Claude Stacks, who flew to the region in a helicopter, expressed “serious concern” over the flood toll.
“As I speak, the priority is to find the victims, to restore supplies and accommodation for those affected, and to restore communications,” Kastex said in a press conference, according to The Weather Channel.
“All my thoughts are with the victims of Storm Alex, their loved ones. The state is everywhere with elected officials to help the French people. Together we will overcome this ordeal, “French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter on Saturday. “Thank you immensely to the firefighters, military, police officers and all the forces engaged in the field.”
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About 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, the French energy company Anadis said.
In Italy, a firefighter was killed during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Valval d’Osta. The search team also found a body in Versailles County, Piedmont, where a 30-year-old man died after his car was flooded.
Italian firefighters rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a mountain range by flooding. Survivors of the Cole de Tende mountain range in the Alps include many German tourists.
In this photo, on Sunday, Oct. October, 2020, firefighters rescued people from the flood in the city of Ornavaso in northern Italian Piedmont. (By Firefighter Vigili del Foucault, AP)
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The city of Venice was protected by its flood defense system and after suffering heavy storms in August, it was rescued from water damage, the BBC reported.
The Associated Press contributes to this report.
