Floods, Pas-de-Calais, October 2012
92 communes under a natural disaster declaration (flood)
262 protected animal species recorded in the declared communes in the ten years before the flood
31 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not
birds: by their population in the flood's season
- Dates per the orders
- 27 October to 4 November 2012
- Départements
- Pas-de-Calais
- Flood type
- river flooding, runoff or mudflow, rising groundwater
- Heaviest rainfall
- 60 mm
- in one day (Pas-de-Calais, 29 October 2012), ATTIN station · per Météo-France
- 24 October 2012: 0 mm
- 25 October 2012: 0 mm
- 26 October 2012: 13 mm
- 27 October 2012: 12 mm
- 28 October 2012: 13.5 mm
- 29 October 2012: 60 mm
- 30 October 2012: 0.5 mm
- 31 October 2012: 3.3 mm
- 1 November 2012: 43.6 mm
85.5 mm from 27 to 29 Oct, up to the wettest day
The flood's dates
- Peak discharge
- 57 m³/s
- La Liane à Wirwignes, on 2 November 2012 · 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.
4,069 species recorded in the declared communes
262 protected animal species among them and 10 protected plants
31 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)
215 Birds
18 Amphibians
15 Mammals, bats included
6 Fish, molluscs and crayfish
5 Reptiles
3 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".
Birds
The observations cover every season: a migrant bird recorded there may have been away on the day of the flood.
Endangered, breeding birdsEurasian Tree Sparrow
Vulnerable, breeding birdsYellowhammer
Vulnerable, breeding birdsEuropean Greenfinch
Vulnerable, breeding birdsCommon Linnet
Vulnerable, breeding birdsEurasian Bullfinch
Vulnerable, breeding birdsZitting Cisticola
Vulnerable, breeding birdsEurasian Goldfinch
Vulnerable, breeding birdsGreat Bittern
Vulnerable, wintering birdsEurasian Spoonbill
Vulnerable, breeding birdsCommon Kingfisher
Vulnerable, passage birdsAquatic Warbler
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.
28 ICPE-classified livestock farms located in the declared communes
Géorisques · ICPE383 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee46 veterinary practices based in the declared communes
SIRENE register · Insee25 animal protection associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations7 wildlife associations based in the declared communes
National register of associations
Of the 383 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register: 175 cattle, sheep, goat or pig farms, 50 horse farms, 20 poultry farms and 138 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.
- Estuaire de la Canche, dunes picardes plaquées sur l'ancienne falaise, forêt d'Hardelot et falaise d'EquihenNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Dunes et marais arrière-littoraux de la plaine maritime picardeNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Marais de BalançonNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Dunes de MerlimontNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Estuaire de la CancheNatura 2000, Birds Directive
- Falaises et dunes de Wimereux, estuaire de la Slack, Garennes et Communaux d'Ambleteuse-AudressellesNatura 2000, Habitats Directive
- Baie de CancheNational nature reserve
- Le complexe bocager du Bas-Boulonnais et de la LianeZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- Vallée de la CourseZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- La haute vallée de l’Aa et ses versants en amont de Remilly-WirquinZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- Plaine maritime flamande entre Watten, Loon-Plage et Oye-PlageZNIEFF type II (inventoried natural area)
- La boutonnière de Pays de LicquesZNIEFF type II (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
92 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, département by département.
Pas-de-CalaisSee the 92 communes
Aix-en-Ergny, Aix-en-Issart, Ambleteuse, Andres, Ardres, Audinghen, Audresselles, Audruicq, Balinghem, Bazinghen, Beaumerie-Saint-Martin, Belle-et-Houllefort, Beussent, Boubers-lès-Hesmond, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Bournonville, Bourthes, Brêmes, Brunembert, Camiers, Campagne-lès-Boulonnais, Carly, Conchil-le-Temple, Condette, Cormont, Coupelle-Vieille, Cucq, Doudeauville, Echinghen, Équihen-Plage, Ergny, Fauquembergues, Ferques, Fiennes, Frencq, Guînes, Halinghen, Hames-Boucres, Haut-Loquin, Hesdigneul-lès-Boulogne, Hesdin-l'Abbé, Hubersent, Hucqueliers, Humbert, Isques, La Capelle-lès-Boulogne, Lacres, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Les Attaques, Leubringhen, Leulinghen-Bernes, Maninghem, Marles-sur-Canche, Marquise, Merck-Saint-Liévin, Merlimont, Nesles, Neufchâtel-Hardelot, Nielles-lès-Ardres, Nortkerque, Nouvelle-Église, Offrethun, Outreau, Ouve-Wirquin, Parenty, Polincove, Preures, Questrecques, Recques-sur-Hem, Renty, Rety, Rinxent, Rumilly, Saint-Augustin, Saint-Étienne-au-Mont, Saint-Folquin, Saint-Josse, Saint-Martin-d'Hardinghem, Saint-Michel-sous-Bois, Saint-Omer-Capelle, Sainte-Marie-Kerque, Samer, Vieille-Église, Wicquinghem, Wierre-au-Bois, Wierre-Effroy, Wimereux, Wimille, Wirwignes, Wismes, Zouafques, Zutkerque
Download this flood's data
In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20121101-20121103-62. Its dates were frozen when the identifier was created and differ here from the flood's.
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