‘Mutual aid in times of crisis’ collection: case study France (Vallée de la Roya), April 2025

06/05/2025

Storm Alex, which struck the Roya Valley on 2 and 3 October 2020, brutally exposed the vulnerabilities of an isolated and already socially fragile region. Faced with total isolation, the collapse of infrastructure and the temporary absence of emergency assistance, the population spontaneously reacted with a powerful surge of mutual aid. This phenomenon, which is well known but rarely documented in depth, is at the heart of this study. One of the key lessons is that mutual aid should no longer be seen as a spontaneous act of kindness, but as a strategic tool to be integrated into crisis preparedness and management. It is neither marginal nor temporary: it is a robust collective response, provided that it is recognised, supported and coordinated with institutional mechanisms.