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A major flood · 2020

Floods, Gironde and 7 other départements, May 2020

In May 2020, the Grande Leyre at Salles, in the Gironde, reached the highest peak flow of all the years published for this station, whose measurements are missing from 1979 to 1988. Further south, on the sectors mapped by Copernicus EMS, the observed flooded area, all of it in the Landes, includes 1,314 hectares in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection, mostly in the barthes de l'Adour, floodable meadows and woods along the river. 155 protected animal species had been recorded in this zone over the previous ten years, among them the Eurasian otter and the European pond turtle. Among them too is the giant freshwater pearl mussel, critically endangered on the national Red List, recorded once in the zone or nearby.

GirondeLandesVendéeCharente-MaritimeIndreLot-et-GaronneDeux-SèvresVienne
In blue, the communes declared for this flood: this blue is not the water. In white, the flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors. In coral, the Natura 2000 sites and those under regulatory protection, in bright coral their part within that area. Hover over a département to read its name. Map: Animalert, from GASPAR (Géorisques), Copernicus EMS (© European Union) and IGN ADMIN EXPRESS

  • 4,853 hectares of flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors

    all of it in the Landes

  • 1,314 hectares in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection

    27% of the observed flooded area, all of it in the Landes

  • 155 protected animal species recorded within reach in the ten years before the flood

  • 11 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not

    birds: by their population in the flood's season
Communes declared
209
Dates per the orders
9 to 12 May 2020
Départements
Gironde, Landes, Vendée, Charente-Maritime, Indre and 3 other départements
Flood type
river flooding, runoff or mudflow
Heaviest rainfall
137 mm
in one day (Landes, 10 May 2020), LUXEY station · per Météo-France
  1. 5 May 2020: 0 mm
  2. 6 May 2020: 0 mm
  3. 7 May 2020: 0 mm
  4. 8 May 2020: 2.9 mm
  5. 9 May 2020: 32 mm
  6. 10 May 2020: 137 mm
  7. 11 May 2020: 33 mm
  8. 12 May 2020: 1.4 mm
  9. 13 May 2020: 2.1 mm

171.9 mm from 8 to 10 May, up to the wettest day

The flood's dates

Peak discharge
227 m³/s
La Grande Leyre à Salles, on 13 May 2020 · per Hub'Eau
Extent
flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors
4,853 ha, all of it in the Landes

Protected species recorded within reach

Observations recorded in the ten years before the flood, some known only to within a few kilometres, up to 10 km, when their published position is blurred or given by grid square. They tell which species were reported there, not what became of each animal.

  • 933 species recorded within reach

  • 155 protected animal species among them and 6 protected plants

  • 11 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)

  • 107 Birds

  • 22 Mammals, bats included

  • 9 Amphibians

  • 8 Insects

  • 8 Reptiles

  • 1 Fish, molluscs and crayfish

For birds, the category is the one of their population at the flood's season (breeding, wintering or passage birds): a bird with no dated record within reach in that season in the GBIF data has none, and the breeding category needs at least two dated records in June or July. In the migration season (March, August to October), a bird that neither the passage list nor the wintering list assesses takes its breeding category only if it was recorded at least twice within reach in June or July. The list used is named under each species.

The most notable protected animal species

Species with at least three observations (for a bird, three in the months that give it its category, and no bird without a record at the flood's season), the most threatened first, then the most recorded, and other protected species recorded within reach, even with fewer records. An observation is a published record: it can count one or several animals, and the same animal can be noted several times. When their published position is imprecise, blurred or given by grid square, they are said to be "within reach or nearby".

Birds

The observations cover every season: a migrant bird recorded there may have been away on the day of the flood.

Mammals, bats included

Insects

  • Fadet des LaîchesFadet des Laîches

    Coenonympha oedippusRed List: near threatened
    7 observations within reach or nearby

Reptiles

Fish, molluscs and crayfish

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0, public domain). Credit for each photo

In the water's path

Establishments registered today within reach of the flood, at their declared address or at the point Géorisques gives. They were not necessarily there on the day of the flood, and the dataset does not say whether they were flooded. An ICPE-classified farm can also be in the SIRENE register: these counts do not add up.

  • No ICPE-classified livestock farm located within the flood's reach

    Géorisques · ICPE

  • 1 livestock business in the SIRENE register based within the flood's reach

    SIRENE register · Insee

  • No veterinary practice based within the flood's reach

    SIRENE register · Insee

  • No animal protection association based within the flood's reach

    National register of associations

  • No wildlife association based within the flood's reach

    National register of associations

The one livestock business in the SIRENE register: 1 farm of other animals.

A wildlife association is an association whose declared purpose in the national register of associations is the preservation of wildlife: the register does not say whether it runs an authorised care centre. Associations are counted at their declared address: an association or a care centre based outside the area can work across all of it.

Protected areas within reach

Area of each site within reach of the flood, and the share of the site it represents. Natura 2000 and regulatory protection first, then the ZNIEFF.

A marsh can be designated twice under Natura 2000, for its birds and for its habitats: the areas overlap and do not add up. A ZNIEFF is a wildlife inventory, with no regulatory protection.

The declared communes

209 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, région by région, then département by département.

Download this flood's data

In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20200509-20200511-33. Its dates were frozen when the identifier was created and differ here from the flood's.

Download the datasetdata.gouv.fr

Recognised and listed