Storm Adam hits France; At least four dead already VIDEO

The storm caused flooding across southern France on Tuesday, submerging streets and paralyzing traffic. Among the victims were two women, aged 86 and 26, who drowned in a basement in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Kurir reported, citing the BBC.

The severe weather also hit Corsica. Local media reported that a flash flood swept away an off-road vehicle on Tuesday. One passenger escaped through a window, while the other man was found dead. Authorities have yet to release details about the fourth victim.

In the towns of Mirèges and Saint-Martin-de-Crau, between Montpellier and Marseille, dozens of residents were evacuated to emergency shelters following the flooding. Officials reported that one person was injured in the affected area.

Traffic paralyzed

Roads and railway lines in the area have also been disrupted, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said in a post on the social media platform X.

“Water levels have reached unprecedented heights,” Jacques Witkowski, prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, said on Wednesday.

Witkowski expressed his sympathy for everyone affected by the disaster, adding: “We have mobilized resources on an exceptionally large scale to address the numerous problems.”

Unfavorable weather conditions are expected to continue in France, with Storm Osten, a newly formed weather system moving in from the Atlantic, forecast to hit the northwest of the country.

France’s national weather service, Météo-France, has issued an orange alert for strong winds in five western departments from Thursday evening through Friday. The warning covers the departments of Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Manche.

Storm previously ravaged Spain

Storm Adam previously caused devastating floods in eastern Spain, where at least three people lost their lives. Several towns along the Mediterranean coast were cut off by floodwaters, while rescue helicopters evacuated people trapped on rooftops.

Members of the Military Emergency Response Unit recovered a woman’s body on Monday in the city of Oliva, in Valencia, during rescue operations. The deaths of two other women were confirmed over the weekend: one body washed ashore on a beach in Sagunto, in eastern Valencia, while the other woman was swept away by floodwaters in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged during a visit to Valencia on Tuesday that the government would provide all the necessary resources to rebuild the affected areas.

The Valencian regional government approved a €23.5 million (£20 million) aid package on Tuesday for residents affected by Storm Adam.