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Strong storms have raged around the French metropolis of Nice and in neighboring northern Italy. At least eight people are missing. The consequences of the floods are enormous.
Flooded villages, shattered houses, blocked roads – storms and floods have caused chaotic conditions inside the southern French tourist metropolis, Nice. At least eight people were missing. There was no news from many others, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Saturday. There is “great concern about the bottom line.”
The situation in neighboring northern Italy was also dramatic. Two people died there. A volunteer firefighter from the Arnad municipality in the Aosta Valley died during a rescue operation of a fallen tree, according to the Ansa news agency. In Piedmont, according to the agency, a man got into the Sesia River in his car near Vercelli overnight; was dragged away. Flooded rivers and fallen trees also caused severe damage in Liguria. Many people were missing. Many homes were without electricity.
Paris wants to declare a state of disaster
Castex and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had rushed to the south of France to get an idea of the affected Alpes-Maritimes department. Castex assured support to the population; this Wednesday the cabinet will declare a state of disaster for the affected communities.
The mayor of Nice, known throughout the country, Christian Estrosi, was visibly affected: “We are facing a disaster that I have never seen in the Alpes-Maritimes (department).” According to the media, the conservative politician announced that the army should be deployed in the region. About 100 houses were destroyed or damaged in the region, Estrosi said.
Éric Ciotti MEP spoke of “horror scenes”. His hometown of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in the mountains north of Nice was partially destroyed. According to the media, the town’s cemetery was uprooted.
German hikers doing well
Many roads in the region with deeply cut mountain valleys were no longer passable. The villages were cut off from the outside world. Thousands of homes were without power. Flight operations at Nice airport have returned to normal, the airport announced via Twitter.
In the Piedmont region of northern Italy, authorities temporarily reported around 20 people missing. Even a group of German hikers did not initially contact a hotelier who was supposed to pick them up in Terme di Valdieri after a multi-day tour, he said. The hikers were discovered by the mountain rescue team in a cabin and taken to safety. In Valle d’Aosta, some places were temporarily cut off from traffic after landslides and bridge damage.
There have been hundreds of emergency operations in the Italian storm areas since Friday night. The tunnels were flooded with water and roads had to be closed. The Piedmontese province of Cuneo was particularly affected. By Saturday morning, the weather in many parts of the northwest on the French border had calmed down somewhat, he said on television.
Venice closes the bulkheads
The bad weather front also moved towards Veneto. In Venice, the new Mose flood protection system was put into operation, as Ansa wrote. The floodgates of the floodgates at the lagoon openings have been put into operation. The newly built system had been extensively tested in recent months. It is supposed to prevent serious flooding in the lagoon city.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to the people who were hit by the autumn storm “Alex” via Twitter. The storm had caused considerable damage in Brittany, in the north-west of the country. “Together we will pass this test,” the 42-year-old wrote.
Severe storms are not uncommon in the south of France. In the fall of last year, 14 people died. The densely urbanized Côte d’Azur was hit by strong storms exactly five years ago, 20 people died at that time. Nice and the Côte d’Azur are especially popular with tourists in the summer months, including those from Germany. However, the Corona crisis has affected tourism since spring, which is an important source of income for the region.
