With the “Flooded environment and life-saving techniques” course held 15 September to 3 October 2022 in Reunion, PIROI prepares the local population for flood risks.
Flooding is one of the most frequent major natural hazards on the island, as periods of heavy rainfall can be extremely intense and put the public at great risk. This is even more significant since one in four inhabitants of Reunion live in a flood-prone area. For the past five years PIROI has addressed these issues by implementing the Inondation, nout kartié lé paré flood awareness project in association with local municipalities and inter-municipalities. This ongoing project raises awareness among those exposed to flood risks, thereby reducing their vulnerability and making them more resilient to this type of hazard.
To achieve this, PIROI offers training on what to do to protect oneself against rising floodwaters.Its course “Flooded environments and life-saving techniques”, is organised in partnership with Rando Aqua Reunion, and also teaches trainees about several related topics:
- Theoretical training provides scientific insight, covering Reunion’s meteorological particularities, the specifics of its rivers, how to understand and interpret water movements, etc.
- Practical training involves taking part in a risk-free simulation at the Marsouins River. Participants discover how water flows actually work by experiencing scenarios likely to be encountered in a real-life situation.
To date, 410 people have attended the course, including inhabitants of flood-prone neighbourhoods, disaster risk management stakeholders, municipal and inter-municipal employees, volunteers, and secondary school pupils.