Monitoring and anticipating floods in France

Abstract

The State flood warning and anticipation tools in France have evolve a lot since the years 2000. This paper first presents an overview of the progress made since then. A description of the existing flood vigilance system (www.vigicrues.gouv.fr) is given, with a focus on two of the main on-going improvements: the particular case of river sections under sea influence and the specific organization dedicated to some of the French overseas territories. The next step is to underline the most recent developments carried out to extend the services offered to the public: better communication on occurring floods, forecasts and uncertainties; anticipation of flooded areas; enhanced flash flood warnings dedicated to municipalities; experiments and advice to local authorities on more direct on-site warning systems. The targeted objective is to develop tools and methods to deliver more relevant information, as responsive as possible to the different types of flooding which people are exposed to, over the whole French territory.