Wednesday, October 1, 2014

France declares disaster in flood-hit area

SBS: The French government has declared a natural disaster in flood-hit parts of the country's south, where thousands of people spent the night in shelters during a second night of torrential rains. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told RTL radio that around 60 areas in the department of Herault, near the Spanish border, would qualify for disaster relief.

Around 4000 people had to evacuate their homes on Monday night because of the flooding. Parts of Montpellier lay under water after the Lez river, which flows through the city, burst its banks. Hundreds of people spent the night in the local train station.

The floods are the second in the region this month. No fatalities were reported. Five people were killed in the last storms in mid-September....

The Lez River passing through Montpellier, shot by Sebjarod, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons 2.5 license

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