Following 2 days of heavy rain, a powerful, but very localised thunderstorm struck the area of Cannes on 3 October, cascading down in a highly built-up area.
The surface runoff that followed was hugely destructive, killing 20 people. Small coastal rivers, such as the Brague and the Loup all flooded at terrifying speed.
A gigantic debris-jam*
on the Brague River, at Biot.
Photo: DREAL PACA*.
A tangle of mixed debris and vehicles on the banks of the Brague, at Biot.
Photo: DREAL PACA*.
The events highlighted a specific weakness to flooding, in the form of underground car parks which were increasingly popular in the basements of apartment blocks. Unfortunately, they turned into death traps for residents who rushed to save their vehicles from the floodwaters, some of whom drowned.
CCTV cameras, a new eye on the streets
Over the last ten years lots of municipalities have installed CCTV networks. They also capture scenes when floods hit their peak, such as here, in Cannes city centre.
Photo: Sylvain Charaud, Laetitia Bomperin.
Photo: DREAL PACA*.