French Red Cross Report Reveals Alarming Lack of Preparedness for Extreme Climate Events: 10 Urgent Recommendations

The exposure of the French to climate risks is increasing faster than their level of preparedness, which is still far too low.

Most French people are not prepared for extreme weather events: 41% believe that heat waves are against them, and less than a quarter are affected by floods, storms and cyclones, phenomena that are clearly increasing in mainland France and abroad. At the same time, the sense of exposure grows rapidly: 44% believe they are already suffering the effects of climate change (vs. 27% in 2015), and the number of French people citing environmental pollution as their main cause of concern has more than doubled between 1991 and 2023 (25% vs. 12). %, according to Crédoc’s studies of the concerns of the French).

Beyond these elements of understanding, the 2024 report from the French Red Cross “Extreme climate events: are we ready for the inevitable? » proves that the French are increasingly open, in a context where Europe is the continent that is warming the fastest.

> 50 million French people exposed to heat waves in 2023 (42 days of heat waves vs. 2 days per year on average before 1989). Heatwave events are the greatest threat to the population and disproportionately affect vulnerable groups (elderly, isolated or people living in vulnerable situations, especially the 3 million people in a bad home, the 330,000 homeless people, including 30,000 children).

> Only 40% of French people are trained in safe gestures and behaviour, a rate that is increasing but is still one of the lowest in Europe

> Only 10% of French people have the reflex to prepare an emergency bag.

> In severe weather, only 37% of French people have the right reflex to stay safe and listen to the news.

However:

> 2 out of 3 French people (44 million people) at risk of flooding and earth movement

> 93 regions affected by water restrictions and 75 classified in a “drought emergency” situation. in 2023

> 35% of French people exposed to the dangers of storms and cyclones (+13 points from 2021)

> 17% of the elderly do not have a cell phonepreventing them from accessing real-time alerts

> 1.4 million people do not have good access to drinking water, and heat waves are the biggest health hazard

> Between 20% and 50% of people exposed to a natural disaster at risk of developing mental disorders

“These numbers should give us a warning because they show that a sense of preparedness is increasing as quickly as exposure to climate risks. Therefore training and educating citizens must be our priority, to better anticipate emergencies and be ready when they arise, Philippe Da Costa, President of the French Red Cross.

10 tips within our reach to better respond to the climate crisis and improve our collective resilience

Building on this unprecedented work of compiling data and analyzing the situation in which the French people are exposed to risks, the French Red Cross is making 10 concrete tips that can be used quickly.

1. Training 80% of the population in actions and behaviors that will save, changed so far +40% compared to yesterday

2. Improve psychological support during and after a crisis (impact of climate change on mental health, post-traumatic stress caused by disasters, voluntary mental health, etc.), which requires an increase in the skills of those involved in mental health care

3. Encourage ALL citizens to adapt to the emergency bag reflex (only 10% today)

4. Better understand and identify vulnerable people to better protect them, in particular by strengthening municipal registers that allow them to be quickly identified and by reactivating the department’s social inspection committees

5. Ensure shelter, access to water and sanitation systematically, which requires an ambitious policy to combat homelessness and strengthen the capacity of communities to ensure that all citizens have access to drinking water. We need to establish an “extreme heat” plan with measures to protect the most vulnerable during heat, like the “extreme cold” plan implemented in winter.

6. To introduce the French during the day of the national movement “All resilient against risks” on October 13, which brings together all the stakeholders, allows different emergency situations to be tested and defines the right behaviors to adopt

7. Strengthen collaboration between actors in the relief chain by appointing a national director, with the aim of improving the efficiency and speed of emergency interventions

8. Create a a group of volunteers trained for emergencies and capable of being mobilized in the event of an emergency, who want a legal framework to encourage the participation and provision of rescue volunteers by their employer (such as volunteer firefighters)

9. give away stock of ready-to-use logistics equipment and platforms in all regions, as the work of the Red Cross and the authorities abroad.

10. Promote the participation of the French people at all levels of their lives, with a real recognition of relational and civic commitment with the education system (e.g. granting university credits) and the business world (RTT grants, financial support, special leave for directors of voluntary associations, etc.)

“The strength of our recommendations is their practical and concrete nature. Many of them are simple, inexpensive, and can have a big impact. . We appeal to citizens to prepare, get involved and be active in dealing with emergencies. This is the best way to deal with it. Nothing is lost and we can all do something,” concluded Philippe Da Costa.

The French at the loyalty meeting!

• 92% check on loved ones if the weather is really bad

• 7 out of 10 French people ready to move together with victim support associations

• 81% willing to support disaster relief societies with material donation, and 58% with a financial contribution

• 73% volunteer to help with transportation or accommodation for disaster victims

• a quarter Red Cross volunteers are young people (19,000 volunteers under 30), the segment of the population most aware of climate change.