31-01-2025
IN PICTURES: Historic flooding strikes western France
The mayor of Redon told Franceinfo that the waters are expected to start receding over the weekend, after large parts of the historic Brittany town were submerged.
Officials expect the flood waters to peak at around 5.36m, comparable to the floods of 1995 and 2001 – but lower than the historic high of 5.46m, recorded in 1936.
Flooded houses in Redon. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)
The Breton département of Ille-et-Vilaine, along with those of neighbouring Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, remains on highest alert level, indicating a possible danger to life. A further four – Somme, Oise, Eure and Sarthe – are on orange flood alert.
A van in the water at the port in Redon. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
No fatalities or injuries have been reported in the flood zones, but some 1,600 people living in two flooded areas in Ille-et-Vilaine and Loire-Atlantique were forced to evacuate their homes as the waters rose.
A flooded road. (Photo by Jean-Francois MONIER / AFP)
Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher has said that a catastrophe naturelle will be declared in the coming days, allowing those affected to be adequately compensated for damage to property
Firefighters walk on wooden planks set up in a flooded street in Redon. (Photo by Jean-Francois MONIER / AFP)
Rail transport in the region has been badly affected by the floods, with travel between Rennes and Nantes and between Rennes and towns in south Brittany cut by the floods in Redon. Trains are running between Nantes and Rennes, via Vitré.
Residents in a boat helped by municipal employees and a municipal police officer. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)
SNCF had planned for a resumption in travel on Saturday, but – because the flood waters have yet to peak it is now looking to resume services on Monday.
A flooded street near the overflowing Vilaine river in Redon. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)
You can stay updated on the status of nearby rivers by going to the website.
The flooding experienced in the Brittany capital of Rennes over the weekend is the worst since the city's historic floods of 1981, said local authorities.
