August 12, 2022, 8:27 AM
August 12, 2022, 8:27 AM
In southwestern France, the Gironde and the Landes are still in the grip of flames. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated, especially in the municipalities of Hostens and Belin-Béliet. From one day to the next, these inhabitants were left homeless. Without any solution, some found refuge in emergency reception centers. This is the case of the commune of Salles.
With our special envoy to Salles (south-west France), Grégory Genevrier
Martial arts are over. The dojo in the city of Salles has been transformed into an emergency shelter. Nathalie Fouquet, an evacuee from Belin-Beliet, found shelter there: “It is very well organized, so we have meals, which are very good. We have showers and then we have a bedroom with cots where it is very good, it has air conditioning, and a dining room where we all eat together. We know each other. For the most part, we didn’t know each other. We come from different backgrounds and we’re all in the same boat,” he tells RFI.
The locals have not found other accommodation solutions. This is the case of Thierry Trezières, who came with his seven-year-old son: “I had no other solution with the family, they are abroad,” says this father. “It was very hard for everyone,” he adds.
The volunteers and members of the council strive to offer a quality welcome. The Red Cross helps them: “We receive about twenty people every night,” explains Benjamin Sabourin, director of operations. “At the moment, the rehousing in people’s homes is working well. The situation is manageable at the shelter and we are always on the lookout for other shelters,” he adds.
As the fire is not yet under control, it is still impossible to know when they will be able to return to their homes.
♦ More than 50,000 hectares destroyed by fire this year
Eight big fires at the same time in France. The country is experiencing a historic summer. July was the driest month on record since 1959. An average of 10,000 hectares go up in smoke each year. This week the 50,000-hectare mark has been surpassed.
The most impressive images come from the Gironde. Reinforcements will arrive from various European countries. Beyond the regions of southern France, quite used to these phenomena, it is the entire country that is affected. Hectares of forest have burned in Brittany, Maine-et-Loire and the Jura.
According to climatologists, it is the result of drought, which extends throughout France and had already started in June. To this must be added the heat waves, which are not limited to the south of France. This is only a preview of what we will experience in the coming decades, climate specialists warn. Fires will multiply, intensify and, above all, last longer.
