Local solidarity: the La Roya ‘laboratory’

Preparation and warning

The red hazard warning issued by Météo France for Friday afternoon in the Alpes-Maritimes department warned that there was a high risk of exceptionally intense climatic phenomena that were a danger for people and property. A crisis unit was activated in Nice Préfecture and the Prefect issued a warning that citizens should protect themselves. However, the simultaneous occurrence of two phenomena – on the one hand, Storm Alex (a climatic phenomenon known as a « climatic bomb », which is characterised by significant drops in pressure, which had crossed the whole of France from Brittany) and on the other hand, an upwelling of hot and very humid air from the south – led to an event of unforeseen magnitude. This extreme Mediterranean episode gave rise to exceptional rainfall which exceeded 540 mm/m² in certain catchment areas, whereas on the coast around Nice, it was only 50 mm/m². There was very rapid run-off and the steep valleys in the areas led to flooding of great force and considerable height in the secondary talwegs, and then in the main valleys. Everyone recognises how important this warning was. It was essential in raising the level of vigilance of municipal actors, and consequently municipal teams were mobilised in the evening. Nevertheless, some were better prepared than others, such as the towns in the valley of La Roya, who had taken part in a flood risk preparation exercise two weeks earlier. This exercise focused on the maps of floodable areas produced by the departmental Syndicat Mixte pour les Inondations, l’Aménagement et la Gestion de l’Eau (SMIAGE). Crisis units had been set up within the municipal authorities of the La Roya valley, who are responsible for liaising with the Prefecture and the Departmental Authority. The exercise also involved the French Civil Defence force and other state and regional services. People in the La Roya valley said how useful this had been, whereas the municipal teams in Vésubie valley, and in the town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, had to face the extreme event with little preparation. The preparedness exercise had underlined the importance of establishing lists of things to do before and during an event, and notably the prepositioning of resources within and around the ‘at-risk’ area as soon as the warning is given, in order not to be taken by surprise.

The key role of communication

The scale of the physical damage that took place on 2 October is now well known, but during the first days after the event, communication networks were down. In many cases, it was through individual initiatives, such as people taking mountain trails and paths to reach isolated villages, that contact was re-established. A former journalist living in Breil-sur-Roya, for example, managed to alert the media community by climbing to the summit of a mountain so that she could get onto Facebook and activate her networks. Despite this, the lack of telecommunications was a source of anxiety for many people as they were unable to contact their loved ones. Entering the valleys remained difficult for weeks and certain villages remained cut off for days before being joined on foot, by 4-wheel drive, by tractor, or by quad bike. Straight away, helicopters brought satellite telephones to the municipal authorities, and the arrival of specialist Civil Defence personnel to facilitate crisis units was greatly appreciated. Once the telephone networks were back up and running, a new phase of communication began involving civil society and local solidarity networks. Internet sites, and WhatsApp and Facebook groups were set up to mobilise in-kind resources and money, as well as hundreds of volunteers.

The response

The solidarity of the local population, mutual aid between neighbours and the mobilisation of municipal teams to help vulnerable people created a dynamic that will leave a lasting impression. The local people showed great resilience based on their familiarity with difficult conditions, their ability to improvise and their ingenuity. It should also be pointed out that elderly people, who represent a significant proportion of the population, and who bring specific medical challenges (medical stocks, energy for health centres, etc.), were of central concern. The PREDICT exercise (disaster prevention training), which was carried out in La Roya valley, which helped municipal teams to organise on Friday evening, had highlighted the vulnerability of certain establishments for elderly people. As a result, preventive evacuations took place in the valley on Friday before the storm hit, thus relieving tension in terms of providing the elderly with assistance. It should be pointed out that during these difficult hours, municipal staff, local public service staff, gendarmes and municipal firefighters worked together, sometimes even in teams. They too showed a remarkable spirit of mutual aid and solidarity with the inhabitants of the area, most of them being native to the region themselves.

From the very first days, the presence of volunteers from the whole of France was one of the key aspects of the response. Removing rubble, cleaning mud from houses and installations, rehabilitating homes (particularly for vulnerable people), restoring agricultural tracks and terraces, they carried out a considerable amount of work that was essential before a return to normal life was possible. A whole system, involving municipal staff, people requiring assistance, and leaders who often spontaneously emerged, needed to be set up quickly to provide volunteers with beds and food, and to organise their activities. These efforts, which have continued for months, and are ongoing, involving volunteers and economic actors from throughout the region, and even from all over France, have played a crucial role in restoring hope. State aid (Barnier Fund, regional aid, etc.) and the intervention of insurance companies should bring structural support, both at the micro and the macro levels, which is also required for the reconstruction. The creation of a ‘storm prefect’ role, played by a senior civil servant to coordinate relief efforts and mobilise state resources at the departmental and regional levels, helped to make things run more smoothly. And no one will ever forget the amazing solidarity that was shown at the weekends, when people used their arms and their brains to help. The same humanitarian volunteers then mobilised in Belgium after the major floods of Spring 2021.

Looking ahead

In the months that have passed since the disaster took place, older questions have come back to the fore, such as the type of development that has been chosen for the valley. In addition to these are the consequences of the disaster, as well as the desires, challenges and initiatives that have emerged. These issues will bring new challenges for citizen-based initiatives. Those who were involved in the response want to have a say about the future of the valleys and the type of development that is going to take place. Opinions differ within municipal councils, and between municipal authorities, citizen-based movements, those who are new to the region, those who have been present for a long time, networks based in the valley and movements who arrived after Storm Alex.

The prospects for the future are indeed worrying: the slopes have been visibly weakened at the bottom of the valley due to erosion, and will need to be closely monitored. The network of gauges and reference points that can be remotely monitored will need to be reinforced over the whole catchment area, including on the upper slopes where evidence of shearing should be identified as soon as possible. The location of new routes, the definition of areas where construction is authorised and the preparation of protection and prevention strategies will need to be debated with input from the sciences (Geology, Hydrology, Ecology, Urban Planning, Economics, etc.).

Finally, decisions about planning and development in the valleys will need to involve both elected and civil society representatives, with a crucial need for dialogue. This will require collective intelligence and determination, medium- and long-term investment, and a substantial dose of originality and imagination. Though local politicians, civil society and state administrations appear to be fully invested, a great deal of effort will be required to find common ground as their different agendas are not always fully compatible. Perhaps the legacy of the La Roya valley disaster of 1 October 2020 will be that local democracy and collective intelligence find a way to achieve harmonious development that is respectful of the human and natural heritage of the region, while also reinforcing the resilience of a fragile territory

François Grünewald is Director of Strategic Foresight ay Groupe URD