A man has been spotted taking to a paddleboard to get around a city in France after the country has been struck by its worst flooding in 40 years.
Following hours of heavy rainfall on Thursday the country has been grappling with the extreme flooding which has seen animals swept away, roads submerged in muddy waters and villagers forced to travel by boat.
Shocking video footage shows a man paddling through Bayonne after the Nive River, which runs through the city, burst its banks.
The floodwaters remained throughout Friday and authorities advised residents to remain vigilant during the weekend ahead.
Elsewhere in central France, Grangent dam could be seen attempting to control a goliath flow of water – which at one point exceeded over 2 million litres of water, according to Météo Express.
A man has been spotted taking to a paddleboard to get around Bayonne after France has been struck by its worst flooding in 40 years
Video footage shows a man paddling through Bayonne after the Nive River, which runs through the city, burst its banks
Following hours of heavy rainfall on Thursday the country has been grappling with the extreme flooding
The floodwaters remained throughout Friday and authorities advised residents to remain vigilant during the weekend ahead
Pictured: A pedestrian stands on a fence during a flooding of the river La Nive in Bayonne
The heavy flooding battered parts of France, leaving some in its mountainous southeast region with power outages and serious damage, the AFP reports.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries and it is not yet clear what the level of damage is from the floodwaters.
France’s weather authority Météo France issued six red flood alerts south of Lyon on Thursday.
The alerts were later downgraded to ‘orange’ on Friday, indicating that water levels would come down again.
Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the environment minister, told BFM TV: ‘At certain places in the Ardèche region, up to 700 milimetres of water has fallen in 48 hours.
‘That’s more than a year’s rainfall in Paris, so it’s absolutely gigantic.’
French news stations showed cars, traffic signs and cattle being swept by the torrent floods.
The A47 highway close to Lyon was temporarily transformed into a giant stream of water, as the heavy downpour took over.
Severe flooding has brought panic to the streets of France as animals are swept away, roads are submerged in muddy waters
Yesterday the country was grappling with its worst flooding in the last 40 years following bouts heavy rainfall on Thursday (Pictured: Limony on October 17, 2024)
An aerial view of houses partially submerged in floodwaters in the town of Limony, central France
Grangent dam could be seen attempting to control a goliath flow of water – which one point exceeded over 2 million litres of water
The streets of Bayonne completely flooded yesterday after torrential rain caused the neighbouring Adour river to overflow
Vehicles were blocked by rising water on the A47 freeway today
The French interior ministry said Paris had dispatched 1,500 additional firefighters to affected areas.
Harrowing footage also showed people struggling to cross the powerful currents with water coming up to their knees.
The flooding in southern France comes a week after remnants of Hurricane Kirk churned across western Europe and nearly a month after Cannes was hit by flash flooding.
Earlier in September, central Europe was battered by the worst floods in that area in at least two decades.
Over the last few days, French authorities have closed roads, evacuated neighbourhoods and asked residents to avoid placing themselves in danger by taking photos and videos.
It comes as French departments were placed on red alert for flooding amid ‘exceptional rain’ that the French weather agency said was as much as 24.8 inches in 48 hours in one area.
Departments in France are administrative regions similar to British or American counties.
A Mini Cooper is seen being dragged by flood water
Intempéries : un homme s’est réfugié sur le toit de sa voiture à Saint-Clair-du-Rhône (Isère). Les plongeurs des sapeurs-pompiers de Vienne l’ont secouru pic.twitter.com/Ufjf4lIKwm
— France Bleu Isère (@francebleuisere) October 17, 2024 
The floods come a week after remnants of Hurricane Kirk churned across western Europe
Image shows cars submerged in a commercial zone on October 16, 2024, in Givors, central-eastern France, following heavy rainfall in the area, which is under a red alert for rain and flooding
Videos show people knee-deep in water struggling through the currents
Partially submerged cars parked in a shopping center parking lot in Givors pictured on Thursday following flooding
Rescue team navigates flood waters in Givors, France on Thursday
A pedestrian looks on, near a flooded street following heavy rainfall in Annonay, central Franceon October 17
A firefighter wades through floodwaters past a partially submerged car parked in a shopping area on October 17 in Givors
A photo shows a flodded area following heavy rainfall in Annonay, central France on Thursday
Water floods the streets in southern France as authorities said they had to close roads and evacuate neighbourhood
A local resident looks at a flooded street following heavy rainfall in Annonay, central France on Thursday
This photograph taken on Thursday shows cars partially submerged in a commercial zone in Givors
The areas were covered by the red alert include Lyon, the third-largest city in the country, as well as Cannes, famed for its film festival.
Authorities said they had closed roads, evacuated neighbourhoods and asked residents to avoid placing themselves in danger by taking photos and videos.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries and it is not yet clear what the level of damage is from the floodwaters.
It comes after episodes of wild weather gripped Europe over the summer, with parts of Spain, France and Switzerland lashed by freak summer storms and flash floods.
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Publish date : 2024-10-19 08:43:00
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