We know the broad outlines of the catastrophe that befell these two towns in the Vendée: storms, high tides and low pressure, a dike that yields and the water flooding of floodplains and constructed, but also the sea that goes over the dunes meant to protect houses. And this happens in the middle of the night, people are surprised in their sleep in houses without vendee floor with no place to take refuge in height. But
It happens that I know particularly well these municipalities to go every summer, at least one week a year for over 40 years ...
To understand we must have before the particular topography of this place:
It happens that I know particularly well these municipalities to go every summer, at least one week a year for over 40 years ...
To understand we must have before the particular topography of this place:
We have the mouth of a coastal river, Lay advancing in the sea with two points: the tip and the tip of Arcay Osten. Regarding the tip of the Kidney, all land which are behind this worthy running on the left bank of Lay and dating back to Napoleon are polders up to two meters below sea level land that were earned extend very far, at least until the town of Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm.
On the whole left bank of Lay bordered by the dam, there are approaching La Faute-sur-Mer residential houses that were built below the dam, and thus well below the level Sea, then away toward the tip of the Kidney, oyster farmers who benefit from brackish water, houses increasingly poor, the land where people are planting tents and caravans, campsites. In fact the further away of fault and that we approach the tip of the Kidney, is a bit more "zone". Not only seawater and brackish water is passed over the dam, but when it cracked, there are millions of cubic meters of water that flooded the valley to St Michel en l'Herm north and the town of Osten westward.
For the town of La Faute-sur-Mer, located on the right bank of Lay there was no breaking of the dike at a specific point. But Lay Blame is bounded by a kind of embankment looks more like an earth dike to itself: it is here to protect tides that Lay back, not furious attacks from the sea in stormy weather. At major spring tides are limited. Once the water has passed over ... But that's not all, the sea is also passed over the dunes that protect neighborhoods built along the beach. From Blame to the tip of Arçay at places where the beach was narrower.
This explains the flooding, but not dead. A controversy began to swell on building permits that were issued to homes located in flood zone. A
Is there too much built in a flood zone?
Since the question was asked, elected officials, especially the lack-sur-Mer starting to feel a little embarrassed to armholes. And there's plenty ...
Until the 80s the mayor was an environmentalist before the hour and the lack of planning had been relatively under control, especially on the peninsula's tip Arcay, Lay of the banks that were unbuildable. Then the "traders" have taken the absence power to the municipality from a list euphemistically called "non-partisan municipal interest" and began to "enhance" the town, which had two visible effects: the organization of heavy seasonal entertainment almost daily during the day and the evening, along the lines of what is practiced in the camps (balls, fireworks, concerts, election of Miss etc ...), but also and especially the beginning of a fairly chaotic urbanization in areas rendered buildable. As with local sport, buying for themselves or family members who become unbuildable land buildable by a decision of the council and resold or racks, with a comfortable surplus value. Regarding this practice, I do not balance random. For example it is interesting to know who this Francoise Babin , Deputy Mayor, who speaks in this passage :
"The levees, however, would not directly involved in the disaster of the weekend, according to some Evidence collected on the spot. "There is no problem with the levees" and "dykes have resisted," told AFP Patrick Maslin, deputy mayor of Sin-sur-Mer. For the elect, the water came from the sea "by the tip of Arçay" and dunes, he said. "Until now the water had never come there." Francoise Babin, another assistant, ahead of his side as the deadly floods are primarily attributable to a "huge wave that rose above the dike."
"We built a little, not excessive"
Both elected officials have defended against the suspicion of excessive urbanization in these areas very low in relation to sea level "constructions on the town is still controlled and conducted in the state of the art. They built a little, not excessive, Francoise Babin said.
Since June 2007 a plan to prevent flooding (IRPP) has established an area 50 meters from not building the dam, "she said. However, this area includes homes built prior to 2007, some 2 meters below the sea level, according to Francoise Babin. "As to what
PPRI 2007, he acted well after most of the subdivisions may have been built and we must know that during the council's November 19, 2009 these elected officials have violently protested against a new grind of the plan proposed by the state, because she was accused of "hindering the development of the town." They look smart now ...
Just look at the headlines of today written to show that the controversy has not finished building, rightly it seems.
Because we should not tell us that the risks we do not know ... .
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