Floodwaters are rising again in the Pas-de-Calais.
On January 2, the county was placed on red flood alert by Météo-France and on orange rain-flood alert. Yesterday, the Vigicrues monitoring organization warned of exceptional flooding on the Aa. Flooding is also impacting other departments in northeastern France.
🔴 1 department in Red
🔶 4 departments in Orange (https://t.co/CSYEovTI83) pic.twitter.com/2EMsEXcPiZ
- VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) January 4, 2024
Four pumps are being installed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region
Thanks to European solidarity, pumping equipment from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Netherlands is being dispatched to be up and running by the end of the week. pic.twitter.com/niHgKoZC7y
- Préfecture of the Hauts-de-France and Nord region (@prefet59) January 3, 2024
"It remains very localized"
These episodes "are recurring but remain very localized", according to several operators interviewed. They impact " the same areas regularly, such as Saint-Omer, Montreuil... ". But the main concern is their unpredictability. "We're experiencing cycles that make it hard to predict what's coming next. We constantly go from too much to too little. There have always been cycles, but this is different. We're not in the usual management mode, and this situation calls for a real in-depth policy to ensure that homes and farms alike are not subject to the rains.
Potatoes: harvesting is already completed for the most part
Following the floods in November, many market gardeners reported extensive damage, with some crops "completely wiped out". For potatoes, on the other hand, two operators reported that "a small amount of produce was still in the ground (most of which had already been grubbed up), and could be sold despite the impact on quality".