Morgane Bonichot was jolted awake by a mobile phone alert reading “URGENT” and “Evacuate now” in the early hours of Saturday.
The 40-year-old childcare worker quickly bundled up her nine-year-old daughter, their rabbit and their dog before fleeing.
“We left just like that,” Bonichot said. “My car had broken down, so neighbors had to drive me, along with my little girl and the animals. But one of the neighbours had a cat, and with the smell of the rabbit it became very complicated. So she had to drop me off.”
After spending a few days with Bonichot’s mother, the pair moved to a huge exhibition centre in Bordeaux that has been converted into a temporary shelter by city authorities. It has camp beds, food, medical and veterinary care, clothing, and volunteers doing everything they can to make people comfortable. They remain there.
“What really drives me crazy is that it makes me very worried about the future, because year after year it’s getting worse,” she said. “It’s going to be a catastrophe.”