56 towns declared under a state of emergency state across 28 French departments (Official Journal)

A state of natural disaster has been declared in 56 municipalities across 28 departments, pursuant to a decree dated 10 July 2026, published in the Official Journal on 17 July.

According to data analysed by News Tank, damages were caused by:
• differential ground movement resulting from drought and soil rehydration in 28 cases;
• flooding and mudslides in 18 cases;
• land movements (excluding geotechnical drought) in 10 municipalities;
• and flooding caused by rising groundwater levels in the municipality of Lattes in the Hérault department.

It should be noted that the municipality of Saint-Caradec in the Côtes-d’Armor department was hit by two episodes of flooding and mudslides in January and February 2026.

Furthermore, the Nord department is the worst affected by these natural phenomena, with 18 municipalities affected. Next come the Lot and Yvelines (4), as well as the Aveyron (3).

The decree also specifies that applications for recognition of a state of natural disaster have been rejected for 106 municipalities.