The Connexion has reported that vast sea defence work across the whole of the French coastline and waterways have been planned to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s storm induced floods.

The French government has commissioned a task force to examine over 1,000 km of sea walls in the upcoming weeks. By May, the government has announced it will publish a report on any improvements or further reinforcements that will need to be implemented along its coastlines.

During the height of the recent storms, an old sea wall on the Vendee coast was breached, causing a large flood that submerged local houses and French holiday homes under nearly 2 metres of water, claiming the lives of 52 people in the country.

The government hopes to create a warning system for homes on coastal floodplains and will create tougher planning regulations for homes in previous flood affected areas.

Many homes on the banks of the Loire river, have been condemned, to protect against floods – with the local council buying up homes, to allow residents to find alternative accommodation.

Chantal Jouanno, Junior Ecology Minister commented that although the financing of the scheme had yet to be agreed, the improvements could cost around 3 billion Euros.

Such improvements have given reassurance to those with holiday cottages or second homes in France, who were worried that flood risks from both rivers and coasts may affect their investments.

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2. Operation ‘peace of mind’ gets under way in the Dordogne
3. New French terms try to overturn popular Anglicisms
4. New generation of speed cameras for French motorways
5. Travel for French Holidays returns to normal

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