The Charente is overflowing.
And the inhabitants of Saintes, in Charente-Maritime, the only department placed on orange flood alert, this Thursday and Friday by
Météo France
, have their feet in the water for the third time since November.
“Significant overflows”
“
After the rains of recent weeks, flooding is underway on several rivers, with, in particular, a significant flood in the downstream Charente basin
,” explains a bulletin from the government information service Vigicrues.
In Saintes, levels have reached a plateau.
The decline has not yet begun and significant and locally damaging overflows are still underway.
»
Saintes is sadly accustomed to these excesses.
The record dates from December 25, 1982, when the Charente reached a height of 6.84 meters.
More recently, in February 2021, the height of the river stood at 6.18 meters.