The Xynthia Trial: could the deaths have been avoided? | M6 | 66 minutes

On the night of 27 to 28 February 2010, Storm Xynthia struck the coasts of the Vendee and Charente-Maritime with its full force, leaving some 50 dead in its wake. The tiny community of La Faute-sur-Mer, in the Vendee, suffered particular devastation. The courts now accuse the then Mayor of not fulfilling his duty. On the day of the storm, he did not pass on to the local residents the alert warning issued by the prefect and he did not set up any evacuation plan. At 4 o’clock in the morning several tonnes of water engulfed the houses and trapped their still–sleeping occupants. In the south of the commune, in the neighborhood of Arçay, since dubbed “the bowl of death”, the toll was particularly heavy: 29 people died. And yet the Arçay neighborhood should never have existed. It is situated below sea level, in an area liable to flooding where the risks are exceptionally high. In spite of the danger, the mayor and his collaborators are believed to have permitted building for self-enrichment. They will give their evidence during the trial that is to take place between 15 September and 17 October next.