Deadly bad weather: the tribute from the National Assembly and the minister's promise “to raise our level of play”

The Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, was questioned by MP Vignal during the government question session. Screenshot

Two days after the passage of storm Monica, the death toll of which could rise to 10 deaths in Gard, Ardèche and Hérault, the Minister of Ecological Transition, questioned by the deputy for Hérault Patrick Vignal, promises answers in terms of prevention, intervention or monitoring as part of the future climate change adaptation plan.

Forgetting for a moment their political battles, all the deputies stood up to give a long round of applause to the victims of storm Monica and thus pay them "the tribute of national representation" . Two days after the deadly rains which hit Gard, Ardèche and Hérault and left five dead, &quot ;a toll which could amount to ten deaths, the heaviest in recent years, the deputy for Hérault Patrick Vignal questioned the Minister of Ecological Transition, this Tuesday during the question session to the government, in order to ask him the measures he intends to take "to best anticipate these bad weather& quot;, after this time of contemplation. 

"The hottest month of February"

Christophe Béchu, as the deputy before him had done, first praised the work "of the 35 soldiers of the gendarmerie , of the 110 firefighters, divers, air assets which have been deployed and continue to be deployed ", he listed from the podium of the & #39;National Assembly. He then recalled the context of these floods: "we experienced the hottest month of February, which favored evaporation from the sea, water blocked by the Cévennes, which which caused this Cévennes episode of immense violence".

The question of submersible bridges

The minister also pointed out the fact that the tragedies took place on submersible bridges. "In this territory, this consists of avoiding formations of &#39 ;jams. I am not making judgments, I am saying that in the feedback that we will have to make, we will also have to examine in detail the way in which these devices worked or not, how alerts went through or not. quot;, he added.

A national climate change adaptation plan "for the summer"

In front of the deputies, Christophe Béchu finally made the link between these violent floods which are recurring more and more, "yesterday in the Pas- de-Calais, today in the south with the increase in Mediterranean episodes, with climate change. &quot ;Your question", he concluded for the benefit of Deputy Vignal, "insists on the necessity that in the national plan for adaptation to climate change which will be presented for the summer, we are both in terms of prevention, doctrine, intervention, monitoring, a raising our level of play".

The subject should in particular be debated in the National Assembly.