European meteorological sites warned some Mediterranean countries, including Arab countries, of severe weather swings and floods could turn into disasters at a time when a devastating hurricane is expected to hit several cities in Italy.
This comes at a time when floods have swept through vast areas of Tunisia and southern France, whose authorities have declared a state of disaster in more than 100 towns in the southern province of Idu, following torrential rains and floods that have led to a rise in water levels in the Oud valley.
Standard rain
In the southern Mediterranean, several Tunisian provinces are witnessing record rainfall since Thursday night, causing unprecedented flooding.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that five people were killed and two others were missing as a result of bad weather conditions in the country.
Heavy rains come after a month of rainstorms, which also claimed the lives of at least five people, in the tribal areas of northeastern Tunisia.
Two people were killed in the northwestern state of Kef and another in the northeastern city of Qarmbaliya, Tunisian Interior Ministry spokesman Sufian Zaq told AFP.
A six-year-old boy drowned Wednesday in the Sidi Bouzid district, and a 40-year-old man was washed away in the neighboring province of Kasserine.
The Interior Ministry called on drivers to take precautions, noting that a number of roads linking the cities are impassable.
Disasters in the North
In France, the authorities announced the state of natural disasters in more than 100 municipalities of the southern province of "Oud", after heavy rain and floods, hit the French south, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens.
Odeh authorities closed all schools in the area and warned residents of the danger of leaving homes.
The French authorities sent 350 rescuers, and allocated civilian and military rescue helicopters in the affected areas.
The authorities have announced a state of high alert in the region since Monday morning local time, where heavy rains cut many roads in the north of the province.
According to the French authorities, the level of water in the valley "Ide" reached an unprecedented historical level since 1891, approaching seven meters.
Villeneuil mayor Alan Terion warned that the toll in the town was likely to rise, with rescue teams having difficulty reaching some of the disaster areas.
Terion called on citizens to stay in their homes, explaining that all roads north of "Carcassonne" are cut off.
