I thought I would send you a quick message to let you know that we are both in one piece. I'm still not quite sure how we made it out but we did and we are now staying in a hotel in the hills above Nice about an hour away from the campsite we were staying at.
It was the scariest thing i've ever been through, it had been raining all day but no more so than on other occasions that we've been there. We had a couple of power cuts during the evening (again not terribly unusual given that France's electricity cables run over ground and thunderstorms do sometimes knock them out). We went to bed at around 11 ish and were sound asleep when at about 3.45 there was a banging on the door and a guy telling us we had to get out now the site was flooding. The water was nearly up to the door of the mobile home (about 2 feet) by then. We had enough time to throw the first clothes on that came to hand, stuff a couple of random things in my handbag and then we had to go, it was about 2 or 3 minutes. We were told to get in the car and get out of the site, we managed to get out of our avenue and on to the main avenue but not much further before the car started floating and water began pouring in the doors. We think at that point the river that ran behind the site must have started to breach its banks. It was terrifying and heartbreaking but we had no choice than to force the doors open (this was nearly an impossible task) grab my bag and start wading through the water down to the reception area. By this time the water was up to my waist and the currents were starting to get stronger.We made it down to the entrance of the site were my mum and dad had got to in their landrover (with my dad being disabled they must have been among the very first to be told to get out - they had been trying to raise us on phones and texted to say they were safe and at the entrance to the site). It must have taken about 10 mins to get to them, the water there was just below my knees so we got in the car as instructed by the gendarmes to be ready to follow them out of the site. However a gypsy encampment had set up home a couple of hundred metres down the road from our site and they had tried to leave also. Their massive caravans had been swept down and were now blocking the site entrance so there was no where for us to go. We were stuck inside the campsite.
Another 5 or so minutes went by and the water kept on rising until it began to pour in the doors of the landrover. We knew we had to get out and into the buildings of the site. (orginally the authorities had told my folks to stay in the car for evacation as dad can't walk). We managed to get the gendarmes over to the car and we all had to get out and through the very strong currents over to the restaurant building. 3 burly gendarmes carried my dad over to the building. Then the water started to come in there also so we had to go upstairs to the roof terrace as it was the highest ground. We arrived up there at about 4 am in the pitch black and pouring rain. At first light (so around 6ish) helicopters began circling and they started to extract people stranded in their caravans/mobiles/cars/up trees etc. Then a few hours later they started to take people with babies and small children from the roof by helicopter, then people with older children etc. We made it off the roof by helicopter about 2 pm.
I have to go now but I wanted to let you guys know that we are just about okay (though pretty shaken up). We are unsure as to when we are getting home and how we're getting there. We have to wait for the water to subside to go back to the site to see if there is anything at all we can salvage and to take some photos of the car etc for the insurance. Richard is heartbroken (as am I) at losing his car, leaving it was the only thing we could have done, it died as we left it but i don't honestly think we would have made it to the entrance on foot from our mobile home so it bought us a bit of distance and quite possibly saved our lives.
speak to you guys soon
Rich and MC
x
It was the scariest thing i've ever been through, it had been raining all day but no more so than on other occasions that we've been there. We had a couple of power cuts during the evening (again not terribly unusual given that France's electricity cables run over ground and thunderstorms do sometimes knock them out). We went to bed at around 11 ish and were sound asleep when at about 3.45 there was a banging on the door and a guy telling us we had to get out now the site was flooding. The water was nearly up to the door of the mobile home (about 2 feet) by then. We had enough time to throw the first clothes on that came to hand, stuff a couple of random things in my handbag and then we had to go, it was about 2 or 3 minutes. We were told to get in the car and get out of the site, we managed to get out of our avenue and on to the main avenue but not much further before the car started floating and water began pouring in the doors. We think at that point the river that ran behind the site must have started to breach its banks. It was terrifying and heartbreaking but we had no choice than to force the doors open (this was nearly an impossible task) grab my bag and start wading through the water down to the reception area. By this time the water was up to my waist and the currents were starting to get stronger.We made it down to the entrance of the site were my mum and dad had got to in their landrover (with my dad being disabled they must have been among the very first to be told to get out - they had been trying to raise us on phones and texted to say they were safe and at the entrance to the site). It must have taken about 10 mins to get to them, the water there was just below my knees so we got in the car as instructed by the gendarmes to be ready to follow them out of the site. However a gypsy encampment had set up home a couple of hundred metres down the road from our site and they had tried to leave also. Their massive caravans had been swept down and were now blocking the site entrance so there was no where for us to go. We were stuck inside the campsite.
Another 5 or so minutes went by and the water kept on rising until it began to pour in the doors of the landrover. We knew we had to get out and into the buildings of the site. (orginally the authorities had told my folks to stay in the car for evacation as dad can't walk). We managed to get the gendarmes over to the car and we all had to get out and through the very strong currents over to the restaurant building. 3 burly gendarmes carried my dad over to the building. Then the water started to come in there also so we had to go upstairs to the roof terrace as it was the highest ground. We arrived up there at about 4 am in the pitch black and pouring rain. At first light (so around 6ish) helicopters began circling and they started to extract people stranded in their caravans/mobiles/cars/up trees etc. Then a few hours later they started to take people with babies and small children from the roof by helicopter, then people with older children etc. We made it off the roof by helicopter about 2 pm.
I have to go now but I wanted to let you guys know that we are just about okay (though pretty shaken up). We are unsure as to when we are getting home and how we're getting there. We have to wait for the water to subside to go back to the site to see if there is anything at all we can salvage and to take some photos of the car etc for the insurance. Richard is heartbroken (as am I) at losing his car, leaving it was the only thing we could have done, it died as we left it but i don't honestly think we would have made it to the entrance on foot from our mobile home so it bought us a bit of distance and quite possibly saved our lives.
speak to you guys soon
Rich and MC
x
