Storm Charles: Maritime Alps underwater, roads cut off, emergency evacuations, here’s an update

Heavy rains linked to storm Charles are affecting the Alpes-Maritimes on Thursday, November 12. Several municipalities are facing flooding, fallen trees and landslides. In Mandelieu-la-Napoule, evacuations have been initiated. Road traffic and local trains are also disrupted.

Storm Charles is crossing the Alpes-Maritimes on Thursday, November 12. Since the morning, sustained rainfall is causing difficulties in several areas of the department. The Alpes-Maritimes and the Var remain on yellow alert by Météo-France until early evening, particularly for thunderstorms, heavy rain and the risk of wave surge.

On the roads, driving conditions deteriorated over the hours. In Èze, a rockfall led to the closure of RM 6098 from 10:20 am. No reopening time has been announced. A detour has been set up via Boulevard Édouard-VII for motorists coming from Nice and via RM 45 for those arriving from Monaco.

In Menton, RD 52 has also been closed since 10:41 am due to sea swells. RD 50, between Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Menton, has been partially closed since 9:15 am following landslides.

The bad weather also caused several sewer grates to lift, particularly in Cannes, where municipal services intervened in the morning. Roadways were also flooded in Saint-Laurent-du-Var and in the Mougins area.

Mandelieu-la-Napoule particularly affected, Cannes under surveillance

The situation is being closely monitored in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Several axes in the city center are covered by water and evacuations have been initiated, particularly in a school on Boutons-d’Or, according to our information.

A driver also found herself trapped in her vehicle by rising water. “The water was reaching the doors and entering the interior,” said the Alpes-Maritimes Fire and Rescue Service. Firefighters intervened to extract the victim, who was not injured.

The mayor of Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Sébastien Leroy, gave an update on the situation on Facebook: “sustained rainfall in Mandelieu will continue throughout the day. No cause for concern at this stage regarding our various watercourses: their levels remain moderate and still have safety reserves,” he stated.

Another incident necessitated the closure of Boulevard du Bon Puit. A fallen tree caused a streetlight to collapse. Municipal teams were mobilized to clear the roadway.

In Cannes, the municipality is also monitoring the rising watercourses. On X, the mayor David Lisnard reported a rise in the level of the Béal, in the Tourrades area, “not yet at the critical threshold. But this maintains our vigilance,” he clarified. The Frayère and the Riou are also experiencing a rise in their levels, without reaching alert thresholds.

Municipal services are standing by to intervene: “all the logistics are ready if it becomes necessary to close traffic routes or activate our pumps,” the mayor assured.

In Grasse, the bad weather caused another incident. The roof of a four-story residential building collapsed over an area of approximately 40 m². The two occupants were evacuated by firefighters due to the building’s structural weakness.

Disruptions on the TER lines of the Alpes-Maritimes

Rail traffic is also suffering the consequences of depression Charles. Since the morning, several delays and cancellations are affecting TER trains between Marseille and Toulon, due to difficulties linked to bad weather in the Cassis area.

In the Alpes-Maritimes, train traffic is interrupted in both directions between Cannes and Grasse at midday. This interruption follows unfavorable weather conditions in the Mouans-Sartoux area.

Disruptions are also reported in the Muy area, with consequences for connections between Les Arcs-Draguignan and Saint-Raphaël. According to SNCF, a return to normal is expected around 3 pm.

At Nice Côte d’Azur airport, no disruptions were reported at midday. The teams remain nonetheless attentive to the evolution of weather conditions during the afternoon, after initial difficulties recorded the previous day.

Motorists are urged to exercise extra caution, to adjust their speed and to respect safety distances. The situation remains likely to change as precipitation continues.