Key Development

Initial assessments of the impact of severe weather and flooding in Haute-Garonne and Hautes-Pyrénées. Since Tuesday, June 18, heavy rainfall, combined with snowmelt in the Pyrenees, has caused widespread flooding in the Hautes-Pyrénées and Haute-Garonne. Several hundred people had to be evacuated, several major roads were cut off, schools were closed, and villages were left without running water and electricity. In response to these events, the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Health Agency initiated monitoring of emergency services located in the affected areas. As of June 17, 2022, preliminary data show no increase in the number of medical cases handled by SAMU 31 and 65 since June 18. In emergency departments, there was a slight increase in visits by children under 1 year of age in Haute-Garonne, but only on Friday, June 21, well after the events. No increase in emergency department visits was observed in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Regarding emergency department visit diagnoses, no increase in the number of visits was observed for the syndrome groups studied (drowning, trauma, carbon monoxide poisoning, gastroenteritis, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, stress, hypothermia, and leptospirosis). The number of deaths recorded by INSEE (unconsolidated data) does not currently show a significant increase since June 7. The feasibility of a retrospective assessment of the impact of this weather event is currently being studied by the Cire.