Creation and Life of an Operational Crisis Management Centre in Nice Metropolis: Consolidation of Flood Events Handling Using Feedbacks Following the 3rd October Flood Event

Abstract

Due to Mediterranean climate and to the city configuration over steep slope with fast response urban catchments, Nice municipality is eager to regularly face high-impact flood events. Recent intense rainfall events such as the ones in November 2014 and October 2015 illustrated this reality. The latest evolutions in the legal framework (e.g. 27 January 2014 and 07 August 2015 laws), enhanced metropolis civil protection services to handle flood events crisis as first deciders and responders. In the specific case of Nice Metropolis, to handle multi-hazard aspects for civil protection (including flood hazard), the civil protection services have established a modern crisis management centre for multi-hazard crisis management. Aim of this centre is notably to anticipate and to proactively decide and respond to a crisis event by coordinating emergency actions. The first part of the paper describes the legal framework and mindset evolutions which lead to the creation of crisis management centres in French municipalities. The focus of this section is on the operation plan of Nice metropolis crisis management centre. The crisis management centre structure is then depicted along with the main processes which are established to take decisions during the crisis at different levels. The second part of the paper presents the feedbacks about the 3rd October flood event crisis handling. Enhancement of efficient aspects and processes to improve regarding anticipation, coordination and efficiency aspects are raised up. This point of view illustrates the assessment of the operational experience of crisis management from operators towards hydraulic and hydroinformatic specialists. The last part of this paper presents what has been accomplished since the last flood event crisis to strengthen what has been efficient and to improve aspects which were not operating according to expected standards. A specific focus is given in this part to: (i) the development of a platform in Nice to support Emergency management, especially regarding flood events; (ii) new strategies developed such as the use of virtual rainfall gauges and sets of high-resolution flood maps; (iii) the municipality commitment on pursuing high-standard of updates and new technologies application of its crisis management centre by being a member of stakeholder board in a recent European H2020 demos project (ANYWHERE) devoted to the subject. Aim being here for Nice municipality to continue with the evolution and optimization of its crisis centre.