France hit by record floods

RENNES, France -- Floods soaking French towns near the Brittany and Normandy coasts peaked at the weekend but some areas were still under record levels of water.

The floodwaters could take days to recede, according to meteorologists.

A 20-year-old man was missing after a van he was riding in was swept away by floodwaters on Saturday near Lorient, on the Atlantic coast, police said. The driver escaped unharmed.

At the other end of the country, in the French Alps, officials lifted their avalanche alerts but warned skiers to be extra cautious because the snow cover was unstable.

Meteorologists blame the unusually mild winter for both the severe flooding in the northwest and the poor snow conditions in the southeast.

"France is surrounded by fronts which may be rain-makers but luckily, those fronts are still far enough away to help waters in flooded areas start to recede," said CNN Weather Anchor Guillermo Arduino.

"Partly sunny and dry is the forecast for such areas at least for the next 48 hours," he said.

Flood waters remained at record levels in Redon, one of the Brittany towns also badly hit only a month ago when rivers overflowed their banks under torrential rains.

Schools were ordered not to reopen on Monday after their Christmas recess.

Army trucks splashed through knee-high waters to evacuate residents from neighbourhoods near swollen rivers.

"There's not much we can do, it's the fault of the rain," Redon's mayor, Alain Madelin, told LCI television. "We can't build a Great Wall of China around Redon."

Other Breton towns such as Quimper and Quimperle and Caen in Normandy saw their flood waters fall from their peak early on Saturday but still reported low-lying regions under water.

In the Alps, officials on Sunday withdrew the high alert hey had issued the day before for low-lying ski resorts after a drop in temperatures solidified snow cover that was threatening to break free and slide downhill.

"Even though avalanche alerts have been lifted, officials have warned skiers to be extra cautious because the brand new snow cover is still unstable," said Arduino.

At their peak, flood waters were up to five metres (16 feet) above normal river levels in the coastal regions of Brittany worst hit by the latest inundations.

Main train lines in Brittany reopened on Saturday after being closed following the derailing of a high-speed TGV train because of a mudslide on the tracks, the SNCF railway said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

More flooding feared in France
January 5, 2001

French meteorological office
SNCF railways
France tourism

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