[Video] La Bérarde : a scientific investigation

On the night of June 20 – 21, 2024, the Étançons torrent overflowed its banks, depositing nearly 200,000 cubic meters of stones near the legendary village of La Bérarde. It destroyed part of the hamlet and carved out a new channel close to its historic core. One year after this disaster, can we explain this extreme event that occurred overnight, high up in the mountains, in the heart of the Écrins massif ?

The State tasked the Mountain Terrain Restoration Service of the ONF in Isère with investigating the causes of the flood and assessing whether such an event could happen again in the future.

Combining eyewitness accounts and expert analyses, this led to a thorough investigation involving about thirty scientists from OSUG, LEGOS, EDF, and others, aiming to unravel the mystery behind the Bérarde disaster.

Here’s a look back at this scientific investigation in the heart of the Écrins massif...

More info

Rapport de rétro-analyse de l’événement de la Bérarde : https://www.onf.fr/vivre-la-foret/+/246e::rapport-de-retro-analyse-de-levenement-de-la-berarde.html

Production : Observatoire des sciences de l’Univers de Grenoble (OSUG)
Editing and Productio : : Pierre Jacquet (OSUG)

With contributions from : : Antoine Blanc (ONF - RTM), Emmanuel Paquet (EDF), Emmanuel Thibert (IGE / OSUG), Simon Filhol (CNRM - CEN / OSUG)

The scientific and technical work of the flood post-analysis was funded by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, with the collaboration of public state institutions and EDF.