Today, 17.1 million of inhabitants are exposed to the different consequences of flooding by overflowing rivers (16.8 million in metropolitan France, and more than 9 million jobs).
The Vigicrues application, which has just been launched by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, allows to know the situation of the main rivers monitored by the State in France and to warn the population in case of flood risk.
The application is based on the Vigicrues website and on the Vigicrues network, made up of agents of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the SCHAPI (Service Central d'Hydrométéorologie et d'Appui à la Prévision des Inondations) at the national level and the regional flood forecasting services.
It is intended, like the site Vigicrues, to inform users of the risks of flooding on the main rivers in France and also allows users to receive notifications on their phone to be warned of the publication of a new information bulletin, of the evolution of the color of vigilance on the scale of a territory, a department or a section of river, or even of the crossing of pre-selected water heights at a hydrometric station.
As soon as a risk is established by the forecasters of the Vigicrues network, a yellow/orange/red flood watch is put in place, depending on the level of potential danger. It is accompanied by information on the current situation and its evolution, as well as advice on how to behave.
In addition to the flood alert level, the application provides access to the following information:
- national and local newsletters;
- water levels and/or flows observed in the watercourses ;
- water level and/or flow forecasts on some stations, in flood situation;
- Mapping of flood zones in certain sectors.
To deal with situations such as the one that occurred in October 2015 on the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes, the State had launched Vigicrues Flasha rapid flood warning tool for communities. This warning system made it possible to monitor 13,000 sections of waterways in metropolitan France, i.e. more than 30,000 km of waterways spread over 10,000 municipalities. Vigicrues Flash generated automatic warnings, based on estimates of the level of flooding updated every 15 minutes, by voice message, SMS and email, for mayors and municipal services.
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