A few days before October 13, the official date of National Resilience Day (JNR), the State services and the Collectivity of Saint-Martin launched, Tuesday, October 8, a extensive awareness campaign risk-focused tsunamiA conscious choice, in line with the vulnerability of the territory in the face of this phenomenon which is still poorly understood.
"We are all exposed to natural risks", Prefect Cyrille Le Vély recalled at the opening. "Cyclones, floods, landslides, but also tsunamis: these natural risks are part of our lives. I hope everyone will be aware of the importance of this awareness."
For this 2025 edition, placed under the sign of tsunami risk, the JNR becomes a true month of resilience, with a program of actions spread over several weeks. The collective objective is to develop a shared risk culture, by combining information, training and concrete actions.
An action-oriented program
The launch will take place on Monday 13 October at 11:30 a.m. with the installation of the first “Tsunami Evacuation” signs at the Galion beach, symbol of a campaign intended to cover the entire coastline. Each panel provides a route to a safe area in case of a tsunami and a map identifying the risk areas.“This is a first in Saint-Martin. We want everyone to instinctively know where to go in the event of an alert,” the prefect said.
On the morning of the launch day, a photo and painting competition will be open to schools until November 15, in partnership with National Education, to identify refuge areas.
Le Wednesday 15 October, tsunami risk village will be set up at Concordia, opposite the prefecture, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., accompanied by a simulation exercise at sea in Friar's Bay (7:30-9 a.m.) and Galisbay (14 p.m.-16 p.m.), and educational activities in schools in Quartier d'Orléans.
Le Thursday October 16, awareness-raising sessions will take place at the Elie Gibbs school (Grand-Case) and at the Aline Hanson school (Sandy Ground), in partnership with the PIRAC (Red Cross). The 30 October, life-size exercise will simulate the complete evacuation of a beach, before a new village of risk the November 5 at Sandy Ground, coupled with an expert conference on tsunami risk from 17 p.m. to 19 p.m. The villages will continue in the morning the November 12 in Grand-Case and the November 19 in the Quartier d’Orléans, in order to reach as many people as possible.
New devices to alert and protect
Beyond education, the Community and the prefecture are announcing concrete measures. Twelve news warning sirens will be installed in coastal areas by the next hurricane season. “They will be associated with FR-Alert and will allow for immediate alert,” explained Bernadette Davis. According to Mélodie Illidge-Jenkins, Director of Major Risks at the Collectivité, the contract has been validated and will be made public by the end of 2025. These sirens will be triggered in the event of a purple alert or tsunami warning. The locations have already been defined and will complement the installation of the three existing sirens (Marigot, Grand-Case and Quartier d'Orléans).
Another innovation from the prefecture, presented by Héloïse Mercuel, Head of the Interministerial Service for Defense and Civil Protection (SIDPC): the creating a chain WhatsApp opening, dedicated exclusively to the dissemination of alert messages in the event of a major crisis (earthquake, tsunami, heavy rain and storms, cyclone, industrial accident). “It is not a daily information channel, but a responsive, trilingual tool – French, English, Spanish – intended for the dissemination of alerts,” said Marion Gonzalez-Durili, deputy director of the prefect’s office.
Training young people, anchoring risk culture
Vice-Rector Harry Christophe stressed the importance of the role of schools : “Resilience is a posture, an attitude that must be implemented individually and collectively.” Two types of education are offered in the territory in terms of major risks : the security professions section and specific courses such as the natural sciences course where major risk topics are addressed. “There is hands-on practice and learning through games or digital simulation, such as the exercise practiced at the Roche Gravée college in Moho which allowed us to see all the questions that could be asked in order to organize the system for greater usefulness,” explains the vice-rector.
Two young people from Daniella Jeffry Vocational High School, Jayce and Albert, from the security professions section, also closed the presentation of the JNR 2025 with a demonstration of first aid, recalling that reactivity and reflex culture begin with simple gestures: state of consciousness of the victim, breathing, lateral safety position, etc.
Towards collective resilience
“Every year, the JNR reminds us that preparation saves lives", insisted Bernadette Davis. "Our responsibility is to be ready, together. An informed population is a protected population."
For Prefect Le Vély, this mobilization reflects “a shared commitment with the Community” and is long-term.We cannot prevent nature from manifesting itself, but we can cope with it.".
The island of Saint-Martin, classified as seismic zone 5 – the highest level of national zoning – in fact combines several risks: earthquakes, cyclones, submersions and landslides. There are 3 types of earthquakes : distant, regional, local. In the case of a local earthquake (i.e. very close), the tsunami could strike in less than 15 minutesBetween 1 and 4 hours for regional, and 8 hours for long distance.
Hence the urgency of developing good habits. With this 2025 edition, National Resilience Day takes on a new dimension in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy: that of a territory that prepares, educates, and protects itself together. _Vx
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/journee-nationale-de-la-resilience-2025-focus-sur-le-risque-tsunami-2/
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