YouWeather with torrential rains blocked motorways and railways in southern France on Tuesday. Many centers of the city have been flooded with water. One person was still missing that evening and a worker was slightly injured by lightning.
Sections of the flooded motorway between Nimes and Montpellier were temporarily closed and thousands of drivers stranded. Rail traffic between the two cities was also disrupted. As announced by railway operator SNCF, slipped debris blocked the tracks, with other sections completely underwater. Restart is sometimes possible only on weekends.
Parts of southern France are expected to receive heavy rain again on Wednesday. The second highest orange level severe weather warning was issued for 13 departments. All schools in the guard department already affected on Tuesday remained closed on Wednesday.
Clearance and cleaning vehicles were in use on the A9 motorway between Nmes and Montpellier until late at night to make the connection, which was temporarily blocked by debris and water, again accessible. Initially the traffic stopped on one lane. According to operator SNCF, in some cases the repair work on railway tracks will go on till the weekend.
Interior Minister Gerald Dormann visited the affected area in the evening and promised support. The disaster must be determined promptly, this helps the affected people in settlement of claims through, inter alia, insurance. “I assure my full support to the residents affected by the storm and take the greatest of precautions in the next few days,” the minister said. 900 firefighters and civil defense personnel have been deployed on 450 missions in the region.
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