Bad weather in Béarn and the Basque Country: rivers are emerging from their beds – South West

The rain is falling in curtains on the 64 and the department is placed in orange rain, flood and avalanche vigilance. The prefecture of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has activated a Departmental Operational Center (COD) as of Thursday, December 9 at 3 p.m. in view of the risk of flooding throughout the department.

The rivers of the Nive, the Nivelle, the Saison, the Bec de Gave, the Gave de Pau and the Gave d’Oloron are placed on orange vigilance until Friday. Between now and midday this Friday, we expect daily accumulations of around 50 to 70 mm in the Basque Country, 60 to 80 mm in the Pyrenean foothills, 80 to 100 mm (locally 120 mm) in the relief of the Pyrenees. Further north of the department, the rains should not exceed 30 to 50 mm.

La Nivelle out of bed

Immediate consequence, the rivers of the Pyrenean valleys and the Basque Country have already swelled with water. This Thursday evening, the first images of the Nivelle coming out of bed call for the greatest caution. “We also expect a long north-westerly swell on the Basque Coast during the episode thus preventing the flow of rivers towards the ocean and thus constituting an aggravating factor”, indicates Météo France.

Thursday evening at 8 p.m., in the Basque Country, the departmental roads RD918 at Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, RD4 between Sare and Ascain, RD305 and RD306 in Sare and RD655 between Bidart en Ahetze are closed to traffic. The first images of the floods were shared by the specialist site Météo Pyrénées on its social networks.

Landslide in Itxassou

In Itxassou, the bad weather of the last few days caused the collapse of a rockfill on a road during the day. The road then slipped into the garden of one of the houses in this district of the station. The two inhabitants of the said house were relocated to a hotel in the town, while the families of the other four houses on the same road were able to stay at her house.

The landslide also had repercussions on the train track. Train traffic is interrupted until 8 a.m. on Friday between Cambo and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. replacement buses have been set up by SNCF.

In Espelette, the Xerrenda district is also underwater, after the Laxa got out of bed in the afternoon. Muddy water engulfed street furniture as well as pedestrian bridges.

In the mountains

The first damage was noted in the mountains on Thursday. An avalanche occurred at the Lescun bridge around 4 p.m., without causing any injuries or touching a vehicle.

Like Laruns, early Thursday, several municipalities launched their municipal safeguard plan. This is the case with Oloron. “The prevention system is working,” indicates the town hall: closing accesses and places affected by the risk of flooding, streets, roads, parking lots of the media library, Bourdeu descent … We are ready to provide assistance to the population. Most of the rising water is scheduled for the second part of the night or the morning. If necessary, urgently, contact 06 77 04 88 95: town hall penalty. “

The increases in water levels “will continue on Friday and we could reach the level of damaging overflows”, alerted the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques this Thursday afternoon.