Heavy rain in parts of France on Thursday caused flooding, evacuations and closed highways and railway lines.
The weather service Météo France issued the highest red warning level for six regions in the southern half of the country, and an orange warning level for 34 regions.
In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, around 900 people had to be evacuated. Television images showed flooded highways, flooded supermarkets and cars floating in the water.
Hundreds of firefighters were deployed and authorities urgently warned against entering the flooded areas on foot or by car. However, initially there were no reports of injuries.
“We are dealing with a situation that is unprecedented in its scale,” said Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
In some places, she said, 2 feet of rain fell in just 48 hours, which is “absolutely huge… This hasn’t happened in living memory.”
“We are collectively confronted with episodes related to climate change that we will experience with increasing frequency. We must prepare for this,” the minister warned.
A crisis team has been set up at the ministry and all relevant services are being mobilized, she said.
