Stranded Tourists Sit Awaiting Road Reopening as Bionaz Works in Solitude; Three Forced to Leave Accommodations
In the picturesque mountain region of Lantosque, France, a series of storms have caused disruption and hardship for locals and tourists alike.
On Monday, a yellow alert was issued, signalling the approach of potential storms. True to the forecast, heavy rainfall was recorded across several municipalities, with cumulative precipitation exceeding 20 mm in 24 hours in Saint-Pierre, Roisan, and Valpelline. The rainfall was particularly heavy at Grandes Murailles, Breuil-Cervinia, and the eastern ridge at the border with Piedmont, where over 30 mm of rain was recorded.
These heavy rains have led to several incidents. Around twenty people are currently stranded downstream and cannot return home. The affected areas include Bionaz, where twenty-six tourists are trapped, and Ollomont, where around twenty people had to leave their homes.
The road to Glassier in the Ollomont valley has reopened after a landslide from the Berruard stream's basin. However, the road to Bionaz remains blocked due to debris from the Varrère stream. Interventions to clear the Varrère began at first light, coordinated by the Operational Interventions structure of the Civil Protection. Three machines are being used downstream, and two upstream, to clear the road of debris.
At Ollomont, yesterday's debris flow from the Berruard stream was contained by the hydraulic improvement works currently under construction. Unfortunately, a debris flow was recorded on the Gaboé stream at Saint-Nicolas, and episodes of solid transport occurred on the Vétan stream at Saint-Pierre and on the La Pira stream at Rhêmes-Notre-Dame.
The residents of the Barliard village, who had been evacuated, were able to return home. However, Valpelline remains disconnected between Oyace and Bionaz.
More storms are expected today, with a yellow alert in place until midnight in the Gran Paradiso valleys, the Upper Valley, the Coumba Freide, and the head of the Valtournenche. The Regional Functional Center reported "rises in watercourses, always below alert levels".
Three of the over 20 stranded tourists were taken down for health reasons in Bionaz. The authorities and the local communities are working tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those affected by these storms, and to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
- Court petitions to reverse established decision on same-sex marriage legalization
