In preparation for hurricane season, the city of Fort-de-France recently held a forum at City Hall to raise awareness about major risks.
The purpose of the meeting was to give residents the opportunity to interact with various institutions so they could be as prepared as possible for a major disaster. Maurice Ferné, the city’s director of public safety, presented to the audience the municipal emergency plan, the Saffir-Simpson scale, the areas at risk of flooding, and the damage that could be caused by hurricanes or storm surges.
Captain Lafontaine, head of the Fort-de-France rescue center, also spoke with the participants, demonstrating a survival kit and explaining the firefighters' preparation methods.
Major-risk coordinators have been appointed in each neighborhood.
The city aims to have major-risk coordinators in every neighborhood to build a local network, because in the event of natural disasters, solidarity is what matters most.
During the event, the major risk liaison’s role is to relay information in real time to the city’s command center. They will serve as the city hall’s eyes in the neighborhoods to protect vulnerable individuals or report rising water levels. This will enable city hall to better direct operations. They will also be responsible for directing people they deem to be in need to shelters and assembly points. A set of key areas to monitor in order to take concrete action and protect everyone.
More neighborhood meetings are scheduled for this month.
Kaylan Fagour
