EDITORIAL. Floods and risk culture

The floods that have been hitting a large part of the country for several days are not just another recurring episode, but serve as a warning to act and better prepare for the future. In the immediate future, these spectacular floods, described as “exceptional” by Météo-France and sometimes historical, are a shock for the affected territories. For the evacuated residents, disaster-stricken businesses, farmers, and local officials assessing the damage in fields and streets, the priority is obviously human: to rebuild what can be rebuilt, restart activities, reopen schools, roads, public services, reconnect electrical and telecommunications networks. National solidarity must come into play fully, quickly, concretely because without it, local life remains suspended.

However, this time of mutual aid should not overshadow a time for reflection on this episode and on the need to strengthen prevention. France does have a strong framework with Flood Risk Prevention Plans (PPRI) covering thousands of municipalities, which still need to be further developed. But the climate reality is evolving faster than our maps and sometimes our projections. Risk areas are shifting, expanding, and densifying due to climate warming and human activity development. Generalizing PPRI where they are missing, refining the mapping of risk areas, integrating new hydrological scenarios: these tasks need to be accelerated. Initiatives exist, such as those undertaken in the Adour-Garonne basin regarding monitoring, infrastructure, and adapted urban planning. They show that coordinated action is possible. They must now change scale.

Another warning signal comes from the insurance sector. The increase in disasters is driving up premiums and weakening a protective model that has been in place for a long time. Some communities struggle to get insurance coverage, either due to lack of offers or facing unsustainable rates. The risk is twofold: seeing poorly covered territories and local budgets stretched, at a time when they need to invest heavily to adapt. The insurance sector, a pillar of resilience for decades – notably with the natural disaster compensation scheme (Cat-Nat), a symbol of national solidarity since 1982 but now showing its limits – cannot falter without consequences for the continuity of public services and the balance of local finances.

Beyond technical and financial measures, it is also necessary to build a real culture of risk among the French population. Knowing how to respond to an alert, knowing the right actions, accepting stricter urban planning rules, preparing residents and businesses: this education in reality is essential. Because floods, like droughts, are no longer rare anomalies. They are becoming regular appointments with our vulnerability. It is up to us to also make them appointments with collective responsibility. Between immediate solidarity and sustainable anticipation, this is where the country’s ability to absorb shocks without losing its balance is at stake.