What to do in the event of a weather alert during your camping holiday? What are the safety reflexes to have and the rules to follow? After the violent storms which have crossed France in recent days and killed five people in Corsica, including two in campsites in Sagone and Calvi, franceinfo takes stock of the safety rules to follow.
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There is a safety procedure in each campsite
“The procedure to be followed in campsites, in the event of a weather risk, is established well in advance.“, explains, on franceinfo, Jean-Marie Ducamin, former president of the Syndicat des campsites du bassin d’Arcachon and owner of the Pasteur campsite in Arès, in Gironde. “In the event of a weather alert, the prefecture informs the town halls, which, in turn, inform the owners of campsites of the risk, by email or SMS. We warn customers, going directly to see them at their location. The campers most at risk are those in tents: they are asked to double the mooring lines, as for boats in ports.“
If ever the storm breaks out, it rains a lot, or the wind is violent, the staff must bring the campers to safety: “Customers are then asked to gather in the toilets, or for campsites that have them, in the meeting rooms, TV rooms… In hard shelters, stronger than a tent or a caravan.“, he specifies.
Following the bad weather on Thursday August 18 in Corsica, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, who visited the site, said he was in favor of the construction of anticyclonic shelters. They are usually found in the West Indies or Polynesia, where they allow populations to protect themselves in the event of strong winds or intense rains. To limit their wind resistance, they are not very high and are equipped with reinforced windows with robust shutters, to withstand gusts of more than 300 km/h. Their construction in Corsica, especially around the campsites, “would be a common sense measure“, said Gérald Darmanin.
Each campsite must have mandatory equipment
To ensure the safety of customers in a crisis situation, minimum equipment is mandatory. Campsites must therefore have loudspeakers so that all holidaymakers have access to information. These must be self-contained, in case the electricity is cut off. Illuminated signs must also be provided.
Campsites must have an evacuation plan, which the emergency services also have, with the number of pitches and the layout of the fire-fighting networks. Finally, campsite staff must be trained, before the start of the season, in the evacuation and safety of campers. “We have special t-shirts and caps to be identified in case of problems“, adds Jean-Marie Ducamin.
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Decisions made in consultation
During intense weather episodes, decisions are made in consultation between the prefecture, town halls and campsite owners. During the bad weather on Thursday August 18 in Corsica, for example, the prefectures ordered the evacuation “without delay” of all the campsites on the island. The decree also specified that the mayors had the obligation to activate their municipal safeguard plan, in order to “provide a meeting place“.
In the Gard, affected by major storms on Tuesday August 16, the prefecture then published a decree recommending the evacuation of campsites as a “preventive measure”. There, no obligation: it was then the mayors of certain municipalities who took the decision to evacuate the campers and shelter them in the planned infrastructures.
The right reflexes to adopt for campers
If you find yourself in an evacuation situation, some safety reflexes are to be adopted. Do not try to dismantle your tent to take it away, but leave it there and take only essential items with you, such as your identity papers and some clothes.
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Do not try to take your car, either, in order to leave the access roads free for the arrival of help.