NOVEMBER 15 2024
Crisis management - a major challenge for the years ahead
First and foremost: as we watch these scenes of cars being swept away and cellars, basements and tunnels being flooded in no time at all, we are witnessing the deaths of more than 200 people...
The risk will increase
The consequences of climate change are already being felt, and unfortunately it's not possible to go to a Repair Café. In the future, we must try to prevent these phenomena from getting worse.
In addition, disaster forecasting and management systems will become increasingly important in the coming years. The
Ahrtal disaster is a wake-up call for the development of systems such as
LU-Alert.
The introduction of these systems will go hand in hand with a well-considered analysis of how they will be used: care must be taken not to send too many messages too often, so as to avoid any habituation phenomenon whereby messages are no longer read.
Reactivity and rapidity
Reactions to climatic disasters will require swift action. For example, the deployment of the Spanish army five days after the disaster in Valencia provoked public incomprehension.
Finally, visits to disaster-affected sites by members of the government will have to be organised as a reflex in order to show immediate support for the victims. In Valencia, King Felipe's visit turned into a communication fiasco.
We all remember Friday 9 August 2019, the evening when Bascharage and Pétange were hit by a tornado: the Grand Duke visited the scene not even 24 hours later and members of the government directly announced measures, while showing solidarity with the victims.
The challenge ahead will therefore be to improve our understanding of these phenomena by stepping up prevention (through specific technical installations), foresight (thanks to warning communication systems) and reactivity (crisis management).
