Alerted since Sunday, the inhabitants of Castagnède had time to prepare for the flood on Monday January 10. A month ago, to the day, the town had avoided the flooding in extremis. “The water was flush with the dike”, testifies Christian Pebe, whose house is only 100 meters from the mound of earth erected in 1995 … and which would still not be officially listed among the structures …
Alerted since Sunday, the inhabitants of Castagnède had time to prepare for the flood on Monday January 10. A month ago, to the day, the town had avoided the flooding in extremis. “The water was flush with the dike”, testifies Christian Pebe, whose house is only 100 meters from the mound of earth erected in 1995 … and which would still not be officially listed among the protective structures. “However, she has already saved the village from flooding seven times,” comments Emmanuel Roger, a resident of the main street of the village of 200 souls. A stone’s throw from Salies-de-Béarn.
The Vigicrue models predict a flood peak at 5.70 meters during the night of Monday 10 to Tuesday 11 January.
Martins de Barros Patrice / “South West”
The Vigicrue models predict a flood peak at 5.70 meters during the night of Monday 10 to Tuesday 11 January. More than 20 cm than in December. So here, we are preparing to have our feet in the water. “Since Sunday, we have been going door-to-door with the firefighters and the gendarmerie to identify those who should be evacuated. Most have one floor and wanted to stay at home, ”says Mayor Jean Hourquebie.
A dike to strengthen
The residents of the threatened village then sealed their homes. Concrete blocks and sandbags distributed by firefighters adorn the portals and entrances to houses. The sudden flood of 2018 left bad memories and reflexes. “We’re ready for the night. I installed plexi plates in front of each entrance, and I have a tractor with a pump, ”explains Christian Pebe.
Concrete blocks and sandbags, distributed by the firefighters, adorn the portals and the entrances of the houses.
Martins de Barros Patrice / “South West”
In the main street, while the agricultural plain is already under water, the villagers feverishly observe the rise of the Gave d’Oloron and monitor the information from the Haut-Béarn sub-prefecture. “When it goes up to Oloron, we know that four hours later, it’s for us,” says Bernard. In the houses, the furniture on the ground floors has been raised. “Solidarity took place naturally”, underlines the mayor.
“Solidarity was naturally set up in the village so that everyone is ready for this episode”
At the foot of the dike, the former mayor at the origin of its construction is meanwhile in full swing. Aboard a mechanical shovel, he set out to raise the dike which partly runs along private land, in the hope of avoiding the worst. The man will not speak. No time, and the subject seems delicate in the town. “This is not the time for controversy, now is the time to act to protect the village,” says Emmanuel Roger. To hear the farmer, the raising of the protective structure has been demanded since 2018 by the inhabitants.
The inhabitants would have liked a consultation.
Martins de Barros Patrice / “South West”
“This is the third flood in three years. If this dike were 50 cm higher, we would not be there to fear being flooded during the night ”, deplores Emmanuel Roger. And the fifty-year-old regrets that requests for public meetings with the municipality and the joint union of gaves d’Oloron, in charge of flood prevention, have never received any echoes. Solicited, its president Bernard Lougarot did not follow up on our messages. The mayor assures us that a dike strengthening program is planned, but the floods are coming faster than the administration is advancing.