Cévennes episode: rain-flooding, storms, floods… on orange alert, the Gard holds its breath

Here, in Sauve, the Vidourle burst its banks this Wednesday, October 16th afternoon. Midi Libre – Dominique Hoste

The Cévennes episode has been affecting the Gard since Wednesday, October 16th and the forecasts for Thursday are not optimistic. The list of flooded rivers, which have already reacted to the rains, is expected to grow. This is causing disruptions, particularly in terms of school transport, which has been partially suspended.

Since Wednesday, October 16th afternoon, the Gard has been placed on orange alert (for the fourth time since the start of the school year in September) by Météo France for rain-flooding, storms and floods, particularly for the rivers of the Gardon d'Alès, that of Anduze and for the Cèze amont.

The Gardon aval, the Cèze amont, aval, the Vistre, the Vidourle and the Ardèche aval, in yellow yesterday evening, could take on a more orange hue in the coming hours.

Indeed, the prefecture mentioned yesterday evening cumulative rainfall for Thursday of the order of 40 to 50 millimeters, locally 80 mm, as well as 100 to 120 mm on the Cévennes massif with heavy rain from this afternoon.

Cumulative rainfall
up to 400 to 500 mm

This will not improve the situation because a large part of the Gard, particularly in the west and north, has been heavily rained on in recent hours. Thus, Météo France announces accumulations that exceeded 80 to 100 mm in the west of the Cévennes, up to 180 or even 300 mm in the Valleraugue and Aigoual areas.

Until this Thursday evening, occasionally, we could reach 400 to 500 mm in places on the Cévennes axis.

Bridges closed, rail traffic disrupted

The Dions bridge under the waters of the Gardon. Inforoute 30

This disturbed weather led to the closure of around ten bridges in the department. The departmental council drew up the list yesterday before 5 p.m.: the footbridge in Anduze on the RD 129A, the Massies bridge in Thoiras on the RD 284A, the Corbès bridge (eastern access) on the RD 284, Paussan in Mialet on the RD50B, the bridge over the Rieutord in the hamlet of Villaret (RD 20C), the Clapouzes bridge in Chambon (RD 243A), the Grand tournant in Peyremale (RD 386), the ford over the Vis in Vissac (RD 814), the bridge between Alzon and Vissec (RD 814), the submersible bridges on the RD187 in Rochegude and Rivières.

As a precaution, the Chamborigaud bridge was also closed to traffic from Tuesday evening, 8:30 p.m., as well as the RD 278 at the Rastel bridge.

The Department announced this Wednesday evening that no reopening of these bridges was planned, the list may be updated depending on the cumulative precipitation recorded during the night.

The disruptions did not only affect the roads since rail traffic was also impacted. Train traffic was interrupted as a precaution between Alès and Langogne this Wednesday and until Friday, October 18, 8 a.m. 

The TER train leaving Nîmes at 9:37 a.m. has been cancelled, as has the TER from Clermont-Ferrand to Nîmes via Langogne. Caution will also be required on the line this Thursday between the Gard sub-prefecture and Nîmes.

300 firefighters mobilised

This situation also required the greatest vigilance from the emergency services, particularly the Gard firefighters. “There is an increase in the number of firefighters, which is increasing from 200 to 300 to reinforce several Gard fire stations”, indicated Lieutenant-Colonel Éric Agrinier.

The flood group was mobilized with, from 10 a.m., forces prepositioned at the Alès rescue center with white water rescuers ready to intervene in this well-watered part of the department. A system that may change depending on the weather forecast.

School transport suspended
in part

The other consequence of this bad weather is the decision of the Gard prefect Jérôme Bonet, in agreement with the departmental director of National Education services Christophe Mauny, to suspend school transport for the day of Thursday, October 16.
The areas concerned are as follows: Aigoual, Viganais, Piémont, Uzège, Gard rhodanien, Cèze Cévennes Nord, Alésien sector, Gardonnenque and Cévennes South.

Students from 275 municipalities will therefore not be able to use public transport to get to schools.

Faced with the weather forecast for this Thursday and the measures taken, the Gard prefecture reminds people to be extremely careful and take the right actions: limit travel, do not enter a submerged road or a submersible bridge.

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