In Ganges, emergency shelters are being prepared in anticipation of the risk of severe flooding in the Cévennes region.
In Ganges, in the Hérault department, the town hall was preparing Tuesday evening, September 29, for possible flooding linked to the Cévennes storm system forecast for the night and day of Wednesday, September 30. Météo-France predicted heavy rainfall in the Cévennes mountains; in the neighboring Gard department, school transport was suspended on Wednesday and several roads were subject to preventative clos.
Heavy rains expected in the Cévennes
In its bulletin published on September 29, Météo-France announced an intensification of thunderstorms overnight, followed by their continuation on Wednesday in the Hérault, Gard, Lozère, and Ardèche departments. In the Cévennes mountains, rainfall intensities could reach 50 to 80 mm in one hour. Total rainfall for the entire event was expected to be around 200 mm, with possible peaks of 250 to 350 mm depending on the area. These are forecasts, not amounts already observed in Ganges. Météo-France provides a detailed forecast for this event .
The bulletin announced an orange alert for rain, flooding, and thunderstorms starting at midnight for the four departments. Hérault and Gard were already under an orange flood warning on Tuesday afternoon.
In Ganges, precautionary meas
In Ganges, a town in the Hérault department of the Occitanie region, municipal services removed storm drain grates to facilitate water flow. The town hall was also preparing a community hall with about thirty cots, in case residents needed to be accommodated. In the franceinfo report published Tuesday evening, no evacuation was announced as having been initiated: it was a preparatory mea.
This caution is explained in particular by the floods that have already occurred in the area. The report recalls that in 2014, cars were overturned and houses flooded. On Tuesday evening, residents interviewed expressed their concern about the possibility of rivers, including the Hérault, overflowing their banks.
School transport suspended in the Gard
In the Gard department, the prefecture suspended school transport for the entire day on Wednesday, September 30th. According to information from the liO network, regular bus lines were expected to operate normally, weather permitting. Families are therefore advised to distinguish between school transport and regular services and to check with their transport provider for any updates.
The official road information website for the Gard department has also announced the preventative clo of several submersible bridges in the Cévennes mountains, as well as the clo of the RD25 between Saint-Laurent-le-Minier and Ganges, starting at 10 p.m. on Tuesday. As traffic conditions can change rapidly, drivers should consult the latest road information before traveling. Inforoute 30 publishes clos and traffic conditions .
The outcome is still uncertain.
At the time of publication, the extent of potential flooding and local consequences were unknown. The reported rainfall totals remain forecasts; they are not sufficient on their own to confirm that a flood will occur in Ganges. Residents are urged to follow the instructions of the authorities and the weather alerts, and not to attempt to cross any submerged roads or bridges.
Source: franceinfo- Occitanie
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