Five years after Storm Alex, the Alpes-Maritimes in search of resilience

On October 2, 2020, Storm Alex dumped half a meter of water in a few hours in the hinterland of Nice and Menton, transforming the Vésubie, the Tinée and the Roya, three usually bucolic rivers into monstrous torrents.

Ten people were killed and eight were missing. Roads, bridges, homes, public buildings, businesses, and cemeteries were swept away, leaving some 13.000 residents cut off from the world.

Five years earlier, on the night of October 3-4, 2015, violent, stationary thunderstorms caused a deluge around Cannes and Antibes. The result: 20 deaths in underground parking lots in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, on flooded roads, and in a retirement home in Biot. And hundreds of millions of euros in damage.

Faced with these disasters, the State and local authorities have mobilized, with substantial financial resources.

From the outset, the objective was to rebuild quickly but "in a sustainable and resilient manner, learning lessons from the storm and preparing the region for more recurrent and violent intense climatic events" due to climate change, recalls Emmanuel Acchiardi, director of the interministerial mission for the reconstruction of the valleys.

The idea was to give the rivers the space they had taken for themselves. The new bridges are longer, higher, the banks are more solid but more widely spaced, and many buildings too close to the water have been closed.

Through the Barnier fund, 120 million euros were allocated to compensate the owners of 250 condemned homes, and many of the gutted buildings that haunted the valleys in the aftermath of the storm have now disappeared, their land returned to nature.

The State has committed 300 million euros for reconstruction projects, initially on an equal footing with local authorities, and released 50 million for projects to revive activity (tourism, agriculture, housing, etc.).

Two-thirds of the construction work is now complete: most of the road network has been renovated, and work on the riverbanks is progressing. But the water and sanitation networks remain to be completed.

Making people more resilient

And the slope is getting steeper for local authorities, because the amounts allocated by the State are fixed while inflation and the vagaries of construction sites have caused bills to rise.

"Two years ago, we had to rebuild the bridges, it cost 3 million. Today, it's 6 million. Materials are increasing, everything is increasing," explains Ivan Mottet, mayor of Saint-Martin-Vésubie.

"After Storm Alex, everyone was there for us and tried to help us. Today it's more complicated," adds Sébastien Olharan, mayor of Breil-sur-Roya.

The obstacles are varied. A judicial investigation is underway into possible embezzlement involving contractors and officials of the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area surrounding the reconstruction.

On the coast, elected officials from the Cannes-Pays de Lérins conurbation regularly complain about environmental standards that are slowing down projects for rainwater retention basins upstream of inhabited areas.

In Saint-Martin-Vésubie, the construction site of the new police station is blocked by a local resident worried about seeing her view of the village partially obstructed.

But if Storm Alex drove hundreds of residents from the valleys, at least the mayors can be pleased to see that many have been able to return, accompanied by newcomers. In schools, the number of children has returned to its pre-Alex level in Saint-Martin-Vésubie and has even increased in Breil-sur-Roya.

And both authorities and residents are better prepared. In the valleys, where flood markers serve as a reminder of the danger, satellite phones and solar-powered radios are ready to ward off another blackout, and volunteer networks are organized.

On the coast, residents now know not to rush into their basements to try to save their cars. And there was little criticism when the prefect closed schools twice last fall following weather warnings.