France is grappling with one of its most intense flood episodes in years. Weeks of steady rain have left soils fully saturated, turning even modest showers into a threat. Vigicrues reports a record number of simultaneous alerts, with 81 departments affected.
At least two people have died, and electricity outages hit up to 850,000 homes before crews from Enedis moved in. Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne remain on maximum vigilance after river levels broke records at La Réole and Cadillac.
