in Cagnes-sur-Mer, evacuation exercises in kindergartens in the event of flooding

Faced with the growing risks of flooding in the Alpes-Maritimes department, the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer has introduced evacuation exercises from a very young age in nursery schools.

The Alpes-Maritimes department was placed on yellow alert for “rain-flood” and “thunderstorms” this Tuesday, October 15 from midnight until Friday. Episodes which, over time, will only multiply.

This is why the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer has implemented evacuation exercises to face the risk of flooding. The mayor of the town, Louis Nègre, wants to “instill a culture of risk in the youngest”.

From the age of three, the 175 children at the Primevères nursery school are prepared for it. They will carry out these exercises three times a year.

No alarm, but a calm evacuation

Unlike the loud fire alarm, learning takes place gently and gradually so as not to create trauma in the little ones. Firstly, they learn through books and secondly, the right actions to adopt. The children are not warned before the exercise, then as it goes along, only the director will be aware to test their automatisms.

The objective of the exercise is to calmly bring the children together as quickly as possible, ensure that they hold hands and move forward in pairs to the release area. ‘shelter. In this school, it is the motor skills room which is raised. Depending on the situation, children may go up one floor to find shelter.

To prevent these risks, the school is also equipped with several cofferdams which prevent water from entering through the gate, but also inside the establishment.

On this point, the authorities insist: it is not recommended to pick up your children in the event of an alert. They are safe with staff who are trained for these risks and in permanent contact with the firefighters, civil protection and town hall services.