On the night of October 2nd to 3rd, torrential rains fell on the hinterland of Nice and Menton, causing severe flooding in the Tinée, Vésubie, and Roya valleys, with the latter two being the most affected. Within 24 hours, approximately 500 millimeters of rain fell in Saint-Martin-Vésubie. Tons of earth, materials, trees, and debris cascaded down riverbeds, sweeping away everything in their path.
The human toll is very heavy: 10 dead, including two firefighters, and eight people missing. The material damage is also exceptional, estimated at one billion euros: in the 70 municipalities of the department classified as a natural disaster area, out of the 2,500 houses inspected, 420 can no longer be inhabited, 85 kilometers of roads and over a thousand kilometers of hiking trails have been damaged, 20 bridges destroyed or rendered unusable, and the train line “Train des Merveilles” cut off for several months.
Two cemeteries were also ravaged by the floods in Tende and Saint-Martin-Vésubie, with graves washed away and remains found as far as the Italian coast. The Alpha animal park, which housed thirteen wolves in the Mercantour National Park, was largely destroyed as well. Since then, three animals are still roaming the valleys, according to the French Office of Biodiversity.
One year after the catastrophe, 135 households are still temporarily housed, and a hamlet remains isolated, Casterino, in the Roya. For those affected, most of whom have received initial compensation, reconstruction will take years.
In tribute to the victims of this disaster, two ceremonies will take place this weekend:
One on Saturday at 4:30 PM at the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Church in Saint-Martin-Vésubie and another on Sunday at 10 AM in Breil-sur-Roya.
Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Alpes-Maritimes Department, will attend both ceremonies.
