Lhe deadly floods which hit Spain are added to the long list of devastating events which have plunged Europe and France into mourning for more than thirty years, at the very moment when the UN publishes a new report on the insufficiency climate policies, which is leading the planet towards a warming of +3.1ºC at the end of this century, and that the third national plan for adaptation to climate change has just been unveiled. For someone who has been working on disasters for two decades, the only surprising thing is that we still find ways to be surprised.
In themselves, such storms are not exceptional. Occurring each year in the fall, they characterize the Mediterranean climate. They are responsible for a sudden increase in the flow of rivers, which overflow their beds and submerge the coastal plains. Their violence is all the more difficult to imagine since most of the time Mediterranean torrents have a low flow rate. However, it is enough to look at the width of the valleys downstream to be convinced of the volumes of water that can flow in a few hours, making any possibility of resisting or even evacuating illusory.
This phenomenon of torrential flooding was well known to the ancients. Locally, we even gave them names: the “iguats” of Roussillon, the “vidourlades” in Sommières (Gard). Over the centuries, Mediterranean societies have adapted. Human occupation favored heights; the houses were raised; the arches and piers of bridges calibrated so as not to be swept away or not to create destructive ice jams.
Artificial environment
During the 20the century, progress in science and technology has led to better prediction of meteorological events, improved warning and the strengthening of dikes. Yet every year, disasters occur. The cost of damage is steadily increasing, and the number of victims remains high.
This paradox can be explained in two ways. On the one hand, the number of people exposed to these risks has increased significantly. Many municipalities have bet on tourism and the residential economy, with the continuous arrival of new residents, young households or retirees, permanent or temporary residents (secondary homes). Population growth occurred through urban sprawl in river valleys and coastal plains. Agricultural land has notably been subdivided into single-storey individual houses, which offer no refuge in the event of a sudden rise in water levels.
You have 60.37% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
France
