Maximilien Carlier (in Arques) 11:13 a.m., January 03, 2024

The return of rain and the placement of the department on red alert are causing anxiety for the victims of the Pas-de-Calais region. A month and a half after the first floods, the inhabitants of Arques fear the return of water. Some prefer to leave before it's too late.

The garden, the living room, the kitchen... In Pas-de-Calais, houses close to waterways are once again finding their feet in the water. The department has been placed on red flood alert by Météo France. This is a tragedy for homeowners, as their homes have still not had time to finish drying out after the previous floods last fall.

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"All the furniture is gone"

In this house in Arques, the breath of the dehumidifiers resonates. These devices for drying the walls have been raised, for fear of rising waters. Inside the house, there is almost nothing left, except for the sockets on the walls.

"Compared to the first flood, all the furniture is gone. The house is empty now," the owner told Europe 1. "The craftsmen have already come to drop off dehumidifiers following the first flood. Now, we hope we won't have a second one," he adds.

A source of anxiety

Because if the water rises again, it will take another six weeks to dry everything out, he adds. So, because of the red alert, this couple decided not to stay in their home. "We're going to try to clear our heads a little bit and then rest because we've been camping for six weeks, between the hotel, the gîte... We ended up going back home because we couldn't stand being outside, not being with our stuff. Today, it's critical. We need to rest. So we're leaving the place all week," says his partner.

"This will prevent us from stressing out at night," she concludes. With each downpour, there is anxiety, nightmares wake them up with a start, they confide.