Floods, Hérault and Gard, September 2014
137 communes under a natural disaster declaration (flood)
339 protected animal species recorded in the declared communes in the ten years before the flood
68 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not
birds: by their population in the flood's season
- Dates per the orders
- 29 to 30 September 2014
- Départements
- Hérault and Gard
- Flood type
- river flooding, runoff or mudflow
- Heaviest rainfall
- 341 mm
- in one day (Hérault, 29 September 2014), LE POUGET station · per Météo-France
- 24 September 2014: 0 mm
- 25 September 2014: 0 mm
- 26 September 2014: 0 mm
- 27 September 2014: 0 mm
- 28 September 2014: 10.2 mm
- 29 September 2014: 341 mm
- 30 September 2014: 0 mm
- 1 October 2014: 0 mm
- 2 October 2014: 0 mm
351.2 mm from 27 to 29 Sep, up to the wettest day
The flood's dates
- Peak discharge
- 736 m³/s
- Le Vidourle à Gallargues-le-Montueux, Autoroute A9, on 29 September 2014 · per Hub'Eau
- Extent
- communes under a natural disaster declaration (flood)
Protected species recorded in the declared communes
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.
5,433 species recorded in the declared communes
339 protected animal species among them and 49 protected plants
68 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)
245 Birds
34 Mammals, bats included
20 Reptiles
15 Fish, molluscs and crayfish
13 Insects
12 Amphibians
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 in the declared communes 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 in the declared communes 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. 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 "in the communes or nearby".
Birds
The observations cover every season: a migrant bird recorded there may have been away on the day of the flood.
Endangered, breeding birdsLittle Bustard
Endangered, breeding birdsReed Bunting
Endangered, breeding birdsMoustached Warbler
Endangered, breeding birdsLittle Bittern
Endangered, breeding birdsEurasian Tree Sparrow
Endangered, breeding birdsDartford Warbler
Endangered, passage birdsOrtolan Bunting
Endangered, breeding birdsSouthern Grey Shrike
Endangered, breeding birdsCollared Pratincole
Endangered, breeding birdsGreater Short-toed Lark
Endangered, breeding birdsGreat Grey Shrike
Mammals, bats included
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 in the communes declared for this flood, taken whole, 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 in the declared communes
Géorisques · ICPE745 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee291 veterinary practices based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee214 animal protection associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations43 wildlife associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations
Of the 745 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register: 122 cattle, sheep, goat or pig farms, 123 horse farms, 48 poultry farms and 452 farms 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.
Protected areas in the declared communes
The sites the communes declared for this flood extend over, taken whole, dry sectors included. Natura 2000 and regulatory protection first, then the ZNIEFF, each by its area in these communes. These are not flooded areas: they are not given.
- Hautes Garrigues du MontpelliéraisNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Montagne de la Moure et Causse d'AumelasNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Garrigues de la Moure et d'AumelasNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Étang de MauguioNatura 2000, Habitats and Birds Directives
- Est et sud de BéziersNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Gorges de l'HéraultNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Étangs palavasiensFor its birds: Étangs palavasiens et étang de l'EstagnolNatura 2000, Habitats and Birds Directives
- Plaine de Villeveyrac-MontagnacNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Herbiers de l'étang de ThauFor its birds: Étang de Thau et lido de Sète à AgdeNatura 2000, Habitats and Birds Directives
- Pic Saint-LoupNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- MinervoisNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Plaine de Fabrègues-PoussanNatura 2000, Birds Directive
A marsh can be designated twice under Natura 2000, for its habitats and for its birds: when both sites carry the same name, or have the same extent and almost the same area here, they share one row. Natura 2000 areas overlap and do not add up.
The declared communes
137 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, département by département.
HéraultSee the 118 communes
Adissan, Agde, Aniane, Argelliers, Aspiran, Assas, Aumelas, Aumes, Baillargues, Beaulieu, Bélarga, Bessan, Béziers, Boisseron, Buzignargues, Campagnan, Campagne, Candillargues, Canet, Capestang, Castelnau-de-Guers, Castelnau-le-Lez, Castries, Cazevieille, Cazouls-d'Hérault, Cers, Clapiers, Combaillaux, Cournonterral, Entre-Vignes, Fabrègues, Florensac, Fontanès, Galargues, Garrigues, Gignac, Grabels, Guzargues, Jacou, Juvignac, La Boissière, Lagamas, Lansargues, Lattes, Lavérune, Le Crès, Le Pouget, Le Triadou, Les Matelles, Lieuran-Cabrières, Lunel, Lunel-Viel, Marseillan, Marsillargues, Mas-de-Londres, Mauguio, Montagnac, Montarnaud, Montaud, Montels, Montferrier-sur-Lez, Montpellier, Mudaison, Murles, Murviel-lès-Montpellier, Nézignan-l'Évêque, Palavas-les-Flots, Paulhan, Pérols, Pézenas, Pinet, Plaissan, Pomérols, Popian, Portiragnes, Pouzols, Prades-le-Lez, Puéchabon, Puilacher, Puisserguier, Quarante, Restinclières, Saint-André-de-Sangonis, Saint-Aunès, Saint-Bauzille-de-la-Sylve, Saint-Bauzille-de-Montmel, Saint-Brès, Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, Saint-Drézéry, Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, Saint-Geniès-des-Mourgues, Saint-Georges-d'Orques, Saint-Hilaire-de-Beauvoir, Saint-Jean-de-Cornies, Saint-Jean-de-Fos, Saint-Jean-de-Védas, Saint-Just, Saint-Nazaire-de-Pézan, Saint-Pargoire, Saint-Paul-et-Valmalle, Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens, Saint-Thibéry, Saint-Vincent-de-Barbeyrargues, Sainte-Croix-de-Quintillargues, Saussan, Sussargues, Teyran, Tressan, Usclas-d'Hérault, Vailhauquès, Valergues, Valflaunès, Vendargues, Vendémian, Vias, Villeneuve-lès-Béziers, Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, Villetelle
GardSee the 19 communes
Aspères, Aubais, Aujargues, Calvisson, Congénies, Crespian, Fontanès, Gallargues-le-Montueux, Junas, Langlade, Lecques, Moulézan, Nîmes, Salinelles, Savignargues, Sommières, Souvignargues, Vic-le-Fesq, Villevieille
Download this flood's data
In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20140929-20140930-34.
Recognised and listed

A project labelled by the French StateNational Resilience Day 2026 (Journée nationale de la résilience)
Registered with GBIFDerived dataset, DOI 10.15468/dd.ta4vkx