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Brittany Flooding Persists as New Rain Threatens Receding Rivers

New rain late week could stall the receding rivers.

Overview

  • Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan remain under orange flood alerts as Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor were downgraded to yellow in recent advisories.
  • Vigicrues says the Odet and Laïta have reached a plateau or begun to fall after a brief lull, and towns including Quimper and Redon have erected flood barriers as officials watch the next rain system.
  • The Oust exceeded about 3.40–3.41 m near Malestroit on Wednesday, submerging neighborhoods, isolating a farm supplied by firefighters, and forcing closures on more than 80 roads.
  • January rainfall set regional records, with 366 mm logged at Sizun and exceptional totals across Finistère, contributing to saturated soils and prolonged high river levels.
  • Economic activity has been disrupted as flooded shops and worksites close, including a sawmill facing immediate losses estimated in the tens of thousands of euros, and health agencies warn against exposure to contaminated floodwaters, citing infection risks such as leptospirosis.