In brief
Storm Adam has unleashed the biggest floods to hit southern France in years, killing four and injuring another. The deluge swept up two women – an 86‑year‑old and a 26‑year‑old – in a cellar in Bouches‑du‑Rhone and left a 4x4 vehicle offshore in Corsica. Emergency shelters were opened in Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau, while trains and highways were shut down. Officials warn that the weather system will spread further east and that Valentine's coast suffered the worst of the damage from a related storm. The government is mobilising support and a €23.5 million aid package has been approved for the affected areas.
At least four people have died and one has been injured after Storm Adam flooded streets across southern France on Tuesday, officials confirmed.
The storm produced heavy rainfall that swelled rivers, roped in two women – an 86‑year‑old and a 26‑year‑old – in a cellar in Bouches‑du‑Rhone. A separate incident in Corsica saw a 4‑wheel drive swept away by broken water, killing one of its occupants while the other escaped through a car window.
The towns of Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau, between Montpellier and Marseille, opened emergency shelters for dozens of residents after the floods cut off the area. A single injury was reported there.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced on Twitter that roads and rail lines had been stopped. Prefect Jacques Witkowski of Bouches‑du‑Rhone urged citizens to stay calm, noting that water levels were “unprecedented”.
The French meteorological service called the storm a severe weather event and warned of further flooding. A new weather system, Storm Austen, is scheduled to hit the north‑west of the country and will bring an orange‑level wind warning for Côtes‑d'Armor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille‑et‑Vilaine and Manche.
Storm Adam’s wrath was not limited to France. In Spain, the same rainfall left three dead in eastern regions. The Valencia government has approved a €23.5 million aid package to support damage recovery, while the national government pledged additional reconstruction help.
