Wednesday 3 February 2021

For the fourth time in the thirteen years we have lived here ...

 ... we witness what is supposed to be a "once in a lifetime" event - the flooding of the Garonne River.

Yesterday, the sirens in town sounded as the water rose to over nine meters (nearly thirty feet).  We have had so much rain in recent weeks and the ground is so saturated there is nowhere for the water to go except out over the flood plain.

I stand on the esplanade next to the bandstand and, with the town at my back, look out across an inland sea.


And Marmande, this morning.  We have never seen it this bad.


5 comments:

  1. Good grief!
    Friends in th Loire Valley report heavy rains and swollen rivers...but not on the Garonne scale!

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    1. Lot-et-Garonne now on red alert. Friends on the floodplain say the water is waist high on their ground floor - and their place is built up on a mound, but not high enough. We thought about buying a property by one of our two big rivers. We're so grateful we are up a hill!

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    2. When we first thought of buying in the Loire Valley we decided from the first that nomatter how pretty the sites and houses there was no way we would live in a flood plain.
      Our last house was high above the river below which would flood the islands and the lower terraces every February...and was classed as 'inondable', as was the old mill on the road behind us which made it impossible to get permission for our neighbour's son to get permission to renovate it as a dwelling house.

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  2. Saw a short video of Dordogne rise at La Roque-Gageac so I expect has moved on towards the Garonne. They say that this is the effect of Climate Change, more work for the Authorities in securing the bridges, roads and rail track. Take care and dont drive through water of any depth! Lesley

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    1. La Roque-Gageac is so beautiful! This is crazy. The ground is just so saturated, nowhere for the water to go except pour off the land and into the rivers. We did go through a shallow bit - but had seen a van come through it the other way, so with hearts in mouths did go through. Coming back home we took the route along the ridge. Hopefully we won't ever have to do that again. Stay dry!

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