Sébastien Lecornu announced that 294 communes in western France will be recognized as being in a state of natural disaster following the floods of the past two weeks. Among them, 63 are in Lot-et-Garonne, 77 in Maine-et-Loire, and 91 in Gironde. The government pledges full mobilization to support affected mayors and residents.
Sébastien Lecornu, Minister for Ecological Transition, announced on February 24, 2026, that 294 communes will be recognized as being in a state of natural disaster following the major floods that struck western France over the past two weeks. This decision comes after a meeting of a dedicated commission, during which the first dossiers from affected communes were reviewed.
Among these communes, 63 are located in Lot-et-Garonne, 77 in Maine-et-Loire, and 91 in Gironde, Lecornu specified on the platform X. "77 dossiers are adjourned to allow communes to complete their files; they will be re-examined at the commissions on March 3 and 10," he added. The decree recognizing the state of natural disaster will be published the following day, he concluded, emphasizing that "the government remains fully mobilized alongside the mayors and residents affected by the floods".
This measure follows a promise of rapid compensation made by the government at the end of last week. France's record series of 40 consecutive days of rain ended on Monday, but the floods persist despite signs of improvement. According to Météo-France, the maximum alert began 14 days ago in Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne, before extending north to Loire-Atlantique.
On Tuesday afternoon, the red flood vigilance remained in effect in Charente-Maritime and Maine-et-Loire, while Charente and Loire-Atlantique were on orange alert. Sarthe has moved to yellow vigilance. Vigicrues states that the absence of significant rain until Thursday is favoring a gradual recession on most rivers, although the risk of overflow persists near areas on orange or red vigilance.
