Severe floods have hit the French Southwest city of Saintes (Charente-Maritime) for the third time in just six months.
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00:00 Severe floods have hit southwest France for the third time in just six months.
00:07 Charente-Maritime, Pas-de-la-Calais and Gironde are all on orange alert.
00:12 The level of the Charente River continues to rise,
00:15 with peak flood levels expecting to reach close to 6 metres this Friday.
00:20 Over 200 homes could be flooded.
00:23 Residents oscillate between anguish and weariness.
00:27 "I've never seen a year like this."
00:30 "It's the fourth in two years."
00:33 The region's mayor is seeking solutions.
00:38 "In this street, it's likely that we'll have to buy houses,
00:43 collapse them, so that the water flow can be evacuated more easily.
00:47 Maybe we'll have to build dams upstream.
00:50 Obviously, we'll have to build water dams.
00:52 We'll try to find efficient water dam systems."
00:54 Some neighbours have been forced to move.
00:59 Others arm themselves with patience
01:01 and look for their own temporary solutions to minimise damage.
01:06 "It's a good attempt."
01:08 [WHOOSH]