Photo: Cédric Jay · CC BY-SA 3.0In La Léchère, 5.7% of residents live in a mapped flood zone
One of the few places in mainland France where new buildings must follow the stricter earthquake rules. Hazard risk is not graded in France: there is no national flood map, so a town outside the mapped areas can’t be called safe from floods.
What stands out about hazards in La Léchère
From the state’s records on Géorisques. Nothing here is graded.
6 hazards in La Léchère at a glance
Bars show where the town sits among French towns of 2,500+; they are not a grade. Disaster declarations are shown, not compared.
Flood zones
Disasters declared
Clay ground
Earthquakes
Radon
Industrial sites
Why hazards aren’t graded in France
In the UK, the Hazard risk grade is the share of homes in a mapped flood zone; in the U.S., it is FEMA’s modelled yearly damage to buildings. Both rest on maps that cover the whole country. France maps flood zones in detail only in its 125 areas at highest risk (TRI), so most towns have no figure, and a blank would read as “dry”. The state’s disaster declarations don’t fill the gap: they depend on the mayor applying, and they don’t line up with the mapped zones. So La Léchère has no Hazard grade, and its overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Everything on this page is shown as published. We’ll grade it when France publishes a national flood map.
Flood zones in La Léchère on the map
The state’s own layers from Géorisques, drawn over the street map. Tap a layer to switch it on or off.
Flood zones are drawn only inside the state’s mapped areas (TRI, pink outline). Outside them, the map is blank because nobody has drawn it, not because the ground is dry.
5.7% of La Léchère’s residents live in a mapped flood zone
Residents in the state’s medium-probability flood zones, by where the water comes from. Mapped areas only.
Share of residents in a medium-probability flood zone. La Léchère has more than 65% of mapped towns. The other 2,833 towns of 2,500+ have no detailed map.
| # | Town | People | In a flood zone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sayat Puy-de-Dôme | 2,529 | 0% | |
| 2 | Gonnehem Pas-de-Calais | 2,525 | 0% | |
| 3 | Mornas Vaucluse | 2,569 | 0% | |
| … | ||||
| 22 | Solliès-Ville Var | 2,504 | 4.3% | |
| 23 | Gainneville Seine-Maritime | 2,548 | 5.1% | |
| 24 | La Léchère Savoie | 2,538 | 5.7% | |
| 25 | Chadrac Haute-Loire | 2,542 | 6.4% | |
| 26 | Colleville-Montgomery Calvados | 2,586 | 7.1% | |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Tourville-la-Rivière Seine-Maritime | 2,596 | 38% | |
| 41 | Sainte-Foy-la-Grande Gironde | 2,507 | 52% | |
Mapped area: – (flood directive maps, 2nd cycle, 2020). Medium probability is roughly the 1-in-100-year flood. Residents placed by INSEE’s 200 m income grid (2021).
11 natural disasters declared in La Léchère since 1982, 5 for floods
The state’s register of natural-disaster orders, 1982 to January 2026.
- 2023Floods and mudflowsNovember 14–16, 2023 · order published December 28, 2023
- 2021Ground movementOctober 21, 2021 – June 1, 2022 · order published October 20, 2023
- 2018Floods and mudflowsJanuary 3–5, 2018 · order published February 1, 2018
- 2001Floods and mudflows · Ground movementMarch 21–22, 2001 · order published September 26, 2001
- 1990AvalancheFebruary 14–20, 1990 · order published May 24, 1990
- 1983Floods and mudflows · Ground movementNovember 26–27, 1983 · order published February 26, 1984
Show all 8 events
- 1983Ground movementFebruary 15, 1983 · order published May 18, 1983
- 1982Floods and mudflows · StormNovember 6–10, 1982 · order published November 19, 1982
Declarations by hazard · 1982–2025
Each line is a state order recognizing a natural disaster in the commune (“CatNat”), which lets insured owners claim. The latest flood began November 14, 2023; 3 flood declarations since 1995.
This count partly reflects how often a mayor applies for a declaration, so it isn’t compared between towns. It is a record of recognized claims, not a flood map. Source: GASPAR, Géorisques, file of 5 October 2026 (orders published to January 2026).
The state lists 10 hazards for La Léchère
Risk plans in force or in preparation, and the prefecture’s list of major risks.
| Hazard | Risk plan (PPR) | Listed by the prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| River flooding and runoff | Approved 2015 | ✓ |
| Landslides and rockfalls | Approved 2008 | ✓ |
| Earthquake | — | ✓ |
| Severe weather | — | ✓ |
| Avalanche | Approved 2008 | ✓ |
| Old mines | — | ✓ |
| Radon | — | ✓ |
| Industrial site | — | ✓ |
| Dam failure | — | ✓ |
| Dangerous goods in transit | — | ✓ |
A risk plan (plan de prévention des risques, PPR) is the state’s map of where building is banned or restricted because of a hazard; it is attached to the town’s planning rules, and a seller or landlord must tell you if the home is in one. The prefecture’s file of major risks (DDRM) lists the hazards it expects in each commune.
Plans: PPR Multi-Léchère Révisant · PPRi-Tarentaise Aval
Earthquake zone 4 (medium); 4.4% of residents on shrink-swell clay
What the ground under La Léchère does: national maps, the same for every town.
Residents on shrink-swell clay · share of residents
Clay ground swells when wet and shrinks in drought, which cracks walls of houses on shallow foundations. Since 2020, a soil study is required before selling a building plot in a medium or high zone. 0 drought (clay) declarations here since 1982.
La Léchère is in zone 4 (medium). New buildings must follow the earthquake building code (Eurocode 8) for their type. The zone sets building rules; it isn’t a forecast.
Clay: BRGM shrink-swell exposure map 2025, residents placed by INSEE’s 200 m grid. Earthquakes: national seismic zoning, decree of 22 October 2010.
Radon potential in La Léchère: category 3 of 3 (significant)
Radon is a natural radioactive gas from granite and volcanic rock; it builds up indoors.
La Léchère is in category 3: parts of the ground can release significant radon. Since 2018, sellers and landlords here must mention it, and testing a home over two winter months is advised.
The category describes the rocks under the commune, not any home: a test is the only way to know.
Source: radon potential by commune, IRSN (now ASNR), 2019.
No industrial risk plan reaches La Léchère
Hazardous sites whose danger zone reaches the town, and the technological risks the prefecture lists.
| Industrial site | a hazardous site in or near the town |
| Dam failure | downstream of a large dam |
| Dangerous goods in transit | road, rail, pipeline or waterway through the town |
| Old mines | old mine workings |
Seveso sites store or use large amounts of dangerous substances; upper-tier sites have a risk plan around them. Distances are from the town’s center.
Sources: GASPAR (PPRT, DDRM), Géorisques, 5 October 2026; Seveso sites from Géorisques’ register of classified installations.
Hazards in La Léchère’s neighbors
Towns of 2,500+ within 30 km. Tap one to open its hazards page.
| Town | Flood zone* | Seismic zone | Radon |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Léchère | 5.7% | 4 | 3 |
| Grand-Aigueblanche 3,780 · 4 km | 11% | 3 | 3 |
| Moûtiers 3,487 · 7 km | 33% | 3 | 3 |
| Aime-la-Plagne 4,385 · 13 km | — | 3 | 3 |
| Albertville 19,978 · 17 km | 1% | 4 | 1 |
| Gilly-sur-Isère 3,149 · 17 km | 13% | 4 | 1 |
| La Plagne Tarentaise 3,836 · 17 km | — | 3 | 3 |
* Share of residents in a mapped medium-probability flood zone; a dash means no detailed map, not no risk. Radon: category 1 to 3.
Being ready in La Léchère
Where France publishes warnings, and what to ask before you buy or rent.
- Météo-France’s vigilance map gives the day’s warnings by département, from yellow to red.
- Vigicrues shows river levels and flood warnings for the main rivers, updated twice a day.
- FR-Alert sends emergency alerts to every phone in the area; no sign-up needed.
- The seller or landlord must give you a risk statement (état des risques) for the address, listing the plans it is in.
- They must also tell you about any natural-disaster claim paid on the home.
- Géorisques gives the same statement for any address, free.
- Test over at least two months between September and April.
- Above 300 Bq/m³, air the home and seal the floor.
- Ask for the risk statement and read which plans the address is in.
- Ask the town hall for its risk booklet (DICRIM) and safety plan (PCS).
- Check that home insurance includes natural-disaster cover (it comes with fire cover).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not graded. France has no national flood map, so we don’t grade hazard risk. Comparisons on this page are with other French towns of 2,500+, shown for context.
- Mapped areas only. Flood shares exist only where the state has mapped flooding in detail (the TRI areas). A town without a figure has no map, not no risk.
- Disaster declarations. A CatNat order recognizes a disaster so that insurers pay; it follows the commune’s application. The count partly reflects how often a mayor applies, so we show it but don’t compare towns on it.
- Plans. A risk plan maps where building is limited; it doesn’t say any one home will flood.
- Clay, earthquakes, radon. National maps of the ground: they describe susceptibility and set building rules, not damage or forecasts.
Questions about hazards in La Léchère
Does La Léchère flood?
The state has declared 5 flood disasters in La Léchère since 1982, the last starting November 14, 2023. On the state’s detailed map, 5.7% of residents live in a medium-probability flood zone. A flood risk plan is in force.
Is La Léchère at risk of earthquakes?
La Léchère is in seismic zone 4 of 5 (medium). The zone sets building rules for new construction; it isn’t a forecast.
Is there radon in La Léchère?
Radon potential is category 3 of 3 (significant). It describes the ground under the commune; only a test tells you a home’s level.
Are there dangerous industrial sites near La Léchère?
No industrial risk plan reaches La Léchère; 0 Seveso sites lie within 5 km.
Why doesn’t La Léchère have a Hazard grade?
France maps flood zones in detail only in its areas at highest risk, so most towns would have no figure, and a blank would look like no risk. We show the data instead, and will grade it if France publishes a national flood map.
Sources: Géorisques (Ministry of Ecological Transition), GASPAR file of 5 October 2026: CatNat orders, risk plans (PPRN, PPRT, PPRM), flood atlases, DDRM, DICRIM · flood directive maps, 2020 (TRI 2nd cycle) and 2024 outlines · BRGM clay shrink-swell map 2025 · seismic zoning, decree of 22 October 2010 · ASNR (formerly IRSN) radon potential 2019 · INSEE 200 m income grid 2021 (where residents live) · map: Géorisques layers over © OpenStreetMap contributors · Seveso sites: Géorisques register of classified installations. Licence Ouverte / Open Licence (Etalab). Not graded.
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.