In brief
Storm Adam unleashed intense rainfall across southern France, flooding streets and inundating homes, and tragically claiming four lives. The heavy rain disrupted transport and forced residents into emergency shelters. Authorities are mobilised at an exceptional level while a new storm, Austen, is forecast to bring high winds to the northwest. Emergency response units in Spain also suffered casualties as the same weather system battered the eastern coast.
Southern France was devastated by Storm Adam, which brought record-breaking rain and caused severe flooding, killing at least four people and leaving an injured person.
Heavy rainfall inundated streets across the Bouches‑du‑Rhône region, trapping residents and disrupting road and rail traffic. Two women, one 86 and another 26, drowned in a cellar of a home in the area. In nearby Corsica, a flood swept a 4x4 vehicle off a road; one passenger escaped but a second died. The Prefect Jacques Witkowski said the water had risen to unprecedented levels and that authorities are mobilised at an "exceptional level".
In towns such as Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau, dozens of people were moved into emergency shelters; one injury was confirmed in the area. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that roads and train lines would remain affected until floodwater recedes.
The storm is part of a broader weather pattern: the next system, Storm Austen, is moving in from the Atlantic and is expected to bring high winds to western departments on Thursday and Friday, prompting an orange‑level warning from Météo‑France.
Storm Adam also hit eastern Spain, where at least three people were killed. Rescue teams found bodies in Valencia and were called to help evacuees trapped on rooftops. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged aid for reconstruction, and the Valencian government approved a €23.5m aid package.
