SENAT
Report n° 117 (2007-2008) by M. Roland COURTEAU, Senator (for the parliament office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices) - Appendix to the minutes of the 7 December 2007 session
Disponible au format Acrobat (21 Moctets)
(4) Responding appropriately to the hazard
The setting up of a warning centre capable of issuing a message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week indicating the occurrence of an earthquake liable to have generated a tsunami constitutes but the first step in building an effective warning system. The said message must also reach the competent authorities in charge of organizing emergency assistance and these same authorities must know exactly what needs to be done at every level, as is the case for the ORSEC plans. Considering the very short reaction times and the many organizations involved 76 ( * ) , there can be no place for improvisation.
The creation of inundation and evacuation maps must be encouraged, because they allow, in particular, for a prior evaluation of the extent of damages and an identification of the routes that can be used for emergency assistance efforts. The principal harbours and densely-inhabited coastal areas must be the first zones covered.
Furthermore, training exercises are indispensable to identify any problems/malfunctions and improve the system's effectiveness.
The question of installing sirens to warn the population must also be raised. Your rapporteur is well aware that this is a very sensitive issue for the local elected representatives. Nevertheless, the sirens' effectiveness should be underlined. Indeed, when the population is scattered about the territory, it is impossible for the civil-protection services to warn everyone threatened in time. In this case, sirens become indispensable. In addition, one must remember that the traditional communications network is often rendered useless, either because the tsunami-generating earthquake is near enough to affect the telephone and/or electricity network, or because it is saturated as soon as the first warning messages are issued. Therefore, the option of installing sirens must be studied during the definition of the future national warning system by the steering committee coordinated by the Department of the Sea.
Finally, the specialized emergency-assistance plans must be defined in the French West Indies, the Mediterranean/northeast Atlantic, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.
(5) Raising public awareness
This question has already been raised; however, it remains crucial, insofar as it clearly represents the weak link in the warning chain.
Your rapporteur has already discussed the public-awareness policies carried out at the national level (essentially meant to raise awareness of the tsunami risk among young people), but also at the local level. He draws from these experiences the following conclusion: if it is necessary to improve the public awareness campaign at the national level, targeting the entire French population, then it is essential to also carry out an information campaign specifically targeting the most at-risk populations: namely, the coastal populations, both permanent residents and tourists.
It is not up to your rapporteur to define the contents of the public-awareness campaigns. However, he believes that in order for them to be effective, they must be repeated and use several communication vehicles in order to touch a diverse public (exhibitions, news reports, scientific television/radio programmes, conferences).
At the local level, the effectiveness of the public-awareness campaigns will depend strongly on the involvement of the local stakeholders (local governments, chambers of commerce and industry, tourist offices, hotels, harbour authorities, lifeguards, etc.). Your rapporteur is aware of the reticence of the local elected officials and the tourist professionals to communicate on the tsunami risk, on the pretext that the subject scares away tourists.
Your rapporteur disagrees with this argument. Indeed, every hotel displays an emergency evacuation map in the event of a fire, yet no one has observed that this discourages tourists from staying at hotels - even though, as in the case of a tsunami, a fire is a relatively low-risk event that could have dire consequences.
In reality, a well-thought-out communication campaign - one which describes the hazard 77 ( * ) , soberly explains its mechanisms, and indicates the simple measures to take to protect against it - can only have a positive effect on the community broadcasting the information, because it testifies to the local government's concern for the safety of the area's inhabitants. This information can be provided in the form of brochures and posters, in both French and English; it can also be included in magazines presenting the activities of the local government. In addition, a partnership with the press must be developed, so that any measures taken by the local government to protect the population from tsunamis receive media coverage.
Finally, raising awareness of the tsunami risk among children and teenagers should be a priority. In coastal zones particularly vulnerable to tsunamis, the teaching materials used must refer to real, historical phenomena and teach the right reflexes in a fun manner.
For schools located in inundation-prone areas, evacuation exercises represent the best means of educating the children.
* 76 Nearly 60 local governments are involved in La Réunion's specialized emergency plan.
* 77 By focusing on not only its relatively low occurence, but also the serious consequences it can have for the coastal population.