At least four people have died and one person was injured in southern France following flooding caused by Storm Adam. The weather system triggered flash floods on Tuesday, Oct. 20, that submerged streets and forced residents into emergency shelters in regions between Montpellier and Marseille.
The flooding in France followed a period of heavy rainfall that began on Oct. 19. Before reaching France, Storm Adam moved through eastern Spain, where it caused at least three deaths and prompted helicopter rescues of residents stranded on rooftops.
In the Bouches-du-Rhône region of France, authorities found two women, aged 86 and 26, who had drowned in a cellar. In Corsica, local media reported a man died after a 4x4 vehicle was swept away; a second occupant of the vehicle escaped through a window. Details regarding the fourth fatality in France have not been released. Jacques Witkowski, the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, stated on Wednesday, Oct. 21, that water had reached \"unprecedented levels.\"
Residents in the southern French towns of Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau were displaced to emergency shelters. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported on X that the storm caused disruptions to road and railway networks. While specific numbers of households without power or the total count of displaced persons were not reported, Witkowski said authorities were mobilized at an \"exceptional level.\"
In Spain, the Valencian government approved an aid package on Tuesday, Oct. 20, totaling €23.5 million (£20 million) for those affected by Storm Adam. The storm caused the deaths of three women in the Spanish regions of Valencia and Catalonia, including one victim whose body was found by the Military Emergencies Unit in the town of Oliva and another washed up on a beach in Sagunto. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged that the national government would provide resources for reconstruction during a visit to the region on Tuesday.
A new weather system named Storm Austen is expected to reach northwest France starting Thursday evening, Oct. 22. Météo-France has issued orange-level wind warnings for five departments: Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Manche. These alerts remain in effect through Friday, Oct. 23.