The bad weather which hit the Hautes-Alpes on Friday caused significant damage and around 1,200 homes remain without electricity, the prefecture said on Saturday, according to which the decline has now begun and the situation is improving.
Once cut off in the north of the department, communications have been restored and the main difficulties are now concentrated in the area of Guillestre and Queyras, declared Dominique Dufour, prefect of Hautes-Alpes, on BFM midday.
No casualties were reported but 116 houses were impacted, as well as 25 businesses, 4 of which were completely destroyed inside. Furthermore, several roads are still cut, including the national 94 near Eygliers, which we need to inspect before restoring it. Access to Risoul 1850 station is also cut off, the road having been destroyed, he added.
Emergency services were able to access the Risoul station by helicopter where around a hundred people remain isolated but in a calm climate, according to a press release. The village of Rallon is also isolated following a landslide. SNCF traffic is also cut between Embrun and Brianon.
Three columns of reinforcement firefighters were dispatched to the area, bringing the number of firefighters engaged to 250, the prefecture indicated earlier in the day. The damage, currently being recorded, will be significant around Guillestre, Eygliers and Risoul.
Given the situation linked to the recent bad weather experienced by the north of the department, water quality could be impacted, state services in the department also warn. In the town of Guillestre, a distribution point is planned for the afternoon at the town hall.
For the next 48 hours, Mto-France wants to be reassuring, notes the prefecture: no significant precipitation is expected. It should be noted that frosts will be widespread next night: -4 -7 expected in the west of the department and -10 -15 in the east, according to her.
In Savoie, several roads and cycle paths are also impacted due to overflows, mudslides, landslides or falling trees, notably Tarentaise or in Maurienne where the Arvan valley remains inaccessible for the moment, depending on the prefecture. Train traffic is also disrupted on the Aix-les-Bains – Ambrieu line.
In Isre, bans on the circulation of heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes have been lifted but municipal protection plans remain active due to rain, floods and mudslides, according to the prefecture.