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A major flood · 2021

Floods, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and 2 other départements, December 2021

Pyrénées-AtlantiquesHautes-PyrénéesLandes
In blue, the communes declared for this flood: this blue is not the water. In white, the water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1). 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, Global Flood Monitoring (© European Union) and IGN ADMIN EXPRESS. Contains modified Copernicus Emergency Management Service information (2026)

  • 2,476 hectares of water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1)

  • 847 hectares in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection

    34% of the observed flooded area

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

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

    birds: by their population in the flood's season
Communes declared
177
Dates per the orders
9 to 12 December 2021
Départements
Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Landes
Flood type
river flooding, runoff or mudflow
Heaviest rainfall
186.9 mm
in one day (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 9 December 2021), LARUNS-HOURAT station · per Météo-France
  1. 4 December 2021: 51.9 mm
  2. 5 December 2021: 39.7 mm
  3. 6 December 2021: 7.6 mm
  4. 7 December 2021: 19.7 mm
  5. 8 December 2021: 17.3 mm
  6. 9 December 2021: 186.9 mm
  7. 10 December 2021: 83.2 mm
  8. 11 December 2021: 3.7 mm
  9. 12 December 2021: 0.2 mm

223.9 mm from 7 to 9 Dec, up to the wettest day

The flood's dates

Peak discharge
1,706 m³/s
Le Gave d'Oloron à Escos, on 10 December 2021 · per Hub'Eau
Extent
water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1)
2,476 ha

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.

  • 604 species recorded within reach

  • 114 protected animal species among them and 5 protected plants

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

  • 83 Birds

  • 13 Mammals, bats included

  • 7 Amphibians

  • 6 Insects

  • 5 Reptiles

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. 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

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

  • 2 livestock businesses 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

Of the 2 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register: 2 cattle, sheep, goat or pig farms.

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.

The declared communes

177 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, département by département.

Pyrénées-AtlantiquesSee the 136 communes

Abitain, Ahaxe-Alciette-Bascassan, Ahetze, Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette, Aldudes, Anglet, Arancou, Arbonne, Aressy, Arnéguy, Artigueloutan, Ascain, Ascarat, Asson, Aste-Béon, Aubertin, Aussurucq, Auterrive, Banca, Barcus, Bardos, Barraute-Camu, Bassussarry, Bayonne, Béhorléguy, Béost, Bergouey-Viellenave, Bescat, Bidache, Bidarray, Bidart, Bielle, Biriatou, Biron, Bonloc, Borce, Bourdettes, Buziet, Cadillon, Cambo-les-Bains, Came, Carresse-Cassaber, Castagnède, Ciboure, Coarraze, Denguin, Diusse, Eaux-Bonnes, Escos, Espelette, Espiute, Etchebar, Gabat, Gan, Garindein, Gère-Bélesten, Gestas, Geüs-d'Oloron, Gomer, Gotein-Libarrenx, Guiche, Halsou, Haut-de-Bosdarros, Hendaye, Herrère, Hours, Idron, Igon, Iholdy, Irissarry, Ispoure, Issor, Itxassou, Izeste, Juxue, La Bastide-Clairence, Lahonce, Lahourcade, Larrau, Larressore, Laruns, Lasse, Lasseube, Lées-Athas, Léren, Lescar, Lescun, Lespielle, Licq-Athérey, Louhossoa, Louvie-Juzon, Louvie-Soubiron, Louvigny, Macaye, Meillon, Mendionde, Mendive, Mouguerre, Moumour, Mourenx, Navarrenx, Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Oraàs, Os-Marsillon, Osserain-Rivareyte, Ossès, Ousse, Parbayse, Pau, Pontacq, Préchacq-Josbaig, Saint-Dos, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, Saint-Goin, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa, Saint-Pé-de-Léren, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Saint-Pierre-d'Irube, Sainte-Colome, Sames, Sare, Sarrance, Soumoulou, Susmiou, Tabaille-Usquain, Tardets-Sorholus, Trois-Villes, Uhart-Cize, Urepel, Urrugne, Urt, Ustaritz, Vignes, Villefranque

Hautes-PyrénéesSee the 30 communes

Adast, Agos-Vidalos, Arbéost, Arcizans-Avant, Argelès-Gazost, Arras-en-Lavedan, Arrens-Marsous, Aspin-Aure, Asté, Ayzac-Ost, Beyrède-Jumet-Camous, Bordères-sur-l'Échez, Ferrières, Gez, Izaourt, Juillan, La Barthe-de-Neste, Labassère, Lamarque-Pontacq, Lourdes, Omex, Ourde, Pouzac, Saint-Créac, Saint-Pastous, Saligos, Salles, Sazos, Sost, Tarbes

LandesSee the 11 communes

Cauneille, Hastingues, Oeyregave, Orthevielle, Peyrehorade, Port-de-Lanne, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Laurent-de-Gosse, Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx, Sainte-Marie-de-Gosse, Sorde-l'Abbaye

This flood's data

In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20211209-20211212-64.

The full dataset is released on 13 October at 6:00 (Paris time). Until then, we send it on request: presse@animalert.app.

Ask for the datasetpublic on 13 October at 6:00

Recognised and listed

  • data.gouv.fr

    Public on data.gouv.fr on 13 October at 6:00

  • Face aux risques, agissons. Bien préparés, bien protégés.

    A project labelled by the French StateNational Resilience Day 2026 (Journée nationale de la résilience)

  • GBIF

    Registered with GBIFDerived dataset, DOI 10.15468/dd.ta4vkx