Floods, Manche and Calvados, December 2010
59 communes under a natural disaster declaration (flood)
197 protected animal species recorded in the declared communes in the ten years before the flood
9 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not
birds: by their population in the flood's season
- Dates per the orders
- 4 to 5 December 2010
- Départements
- Manche and Calvados
- Flood type
- river flooding, runoff or mudflow
- Heaviest rainfall
- 51.5 mm
- in one day (Manche, 4 December 2010), TONNEVILLE station · per Météo-France
- 29 November 2010: 3 mm
- 30 November 2010: 15 mm
- 1 December 2010: 20 mm
- 2 December 2010: 14 mm
- 3 December 2010: 7 mm
- 4 December 2010: 51.5 mm
- 5 December 2010: 6 mm
- 6 December 2010: 2.3 mm
- 7 December 2010: 0.1 mm
72.5 mm from 2 to 4 Dec, up to the wettest day
The flood's dates
- Peak discharge
- 48 m³/s
- La Divette à Cherbourg-Octeville, on 5 December 2010 · provisional Hub'Eau value, it can be revised
- 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.
1,581 species recorded in the declared communes
197 protected animal species among them and 18 protected plants
9 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)
144 Birds
19 Mammals, bats included
15 Amphibians
8 Reptiles
7 Fish, molluscs and crayfish
4 Insects
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".
Fish, molluscs and crayfish
For fish, national protection (order of 8 December 1988) covers their eggs and spawning grounds: several are fished legally.
Birds
The observations cover every season: a migrant bird recorded there may have been away on the day of the flood.
Reptiles
Mammals, bats included
Amphibians
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.
16 ICPE-classified livestock farms located in the declared communes
Géorisques · ICPE1,108 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee36 veterinary practices based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee15 animal protection associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations4 wildlife associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations
Of the 1,108 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register: 766 cattle, sheep, goat or pig farms, 140 horse farms, 7 poultry farms and 195 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.
- Basses Vallées du Cotentin et Baie des VeysNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin - Baie des VeysNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Landes et dunes de la HagueNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Récifs et landes de la HagueNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Massif dunaire de Héauville à VauvilleNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Littoral ouest du Cotentin de Saint-Germain-sur-Ay au RozelNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Domaine de BeauguillotNational nature reserve
- Havre de Saint-Germain-sur-Ay et Landes de LessayNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Marais du Cotentin et du BessinZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- La HagueZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- Baie des VeysZNIEFF type I (inventoried natural area)
- Marais de la Taute et du LozonZNIEFF type I (inventoried natural area)
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
59 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, département by département.
MancheSee the 55 communes
Anneville-en-Saire, Auvers, Baupte, Benoîtville, Besneville, Blosville, Bricquebec-en-Cotentin, Brillevast, Brix, Carentan-les-Marais, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Digosville, Flamanville, Gonneville-Le Theil, Grosville, Héauville, Helleville, Hiesville, La Hague, La Haye, Le Mesnil-au-Val, Le Rozel, Les Pieux, Lestre, Lieusaint, Martinvast, Méautis, Négreville, Néhou, Neufmesnil, Nouainville, Raids, Rauville-la-Bigot, Saint-Christophe-du-Foc, Saint-Floxel, Saint-Germain-le-Gaillard, Saint-Germain-sur-Ay, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Martin-d'Audouville, Saint-Martin-le-Gréard, Sainte-Colombe, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Sainte-Mère-Église, Sébeville, Sideville, Siouville-Hague, Sottevast, Sotteville, Surtainville, Terre-et-Marais, Teurthéville-Hague, Tréauville, Valcanville, Valognes, Virandeville
CalvadosSee the 4 communes
Cricqueville-en-Bessin, Englesqueville-la-Percée, La Cambe, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
Download this flood's data
In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20101204-20101205-50.
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









