Storm Alex 2020: Responsibility, Solidarity and Mutual aid for Community Resilience

Storm Alex 2020: Responsabilité, solidarité et entraide pour la résilience des communautés

David Ortiz Haro, Patrick Laclémence () and Audrey Morel Senatore ()
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David Ortiz Haro: InSyTE - Interdisciplinary research on Society-Technology-Environment - UTT - Université de Technologie de Troyes, UTT - Université de Technologie de Troyes
Patrick Laclémence: InSyTE - Interdisciplinary research on Society-Technology-Environment - UTT - Université de Technologie de Troyes, UTT - Université de Technologie de Troyes
Audrey Morel Senatore: CERISC - Centre d'études et de recherche interdisciplinaires sur la Sécurité civile - Ensosp - École Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs Pompiers, AMU - Aix Marseille Université

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Abstract: The aftermath of Storm Alex in Southeastern France highlighted new avenues for human interaction during disasters. Unfortunately, authorities and rescue personnel often perceive populations as passive actors, overlooking their potential as valuable human resources. This perspective fails to recognise their active role. It's crucial to study how local communities behaved and established solidarity alongside official institutions' activities. Upon analyzing accounts from local residents, authorities and rescue personnel, we have identified unique social and organisational aspects. Robust social networks and bonds among stakeholders illustrate the presence of a Westernised adaptation of ancestral collective practices. Comparable ancestral collective behaviours exist worldwide, such as The Minga in Andean countries, Moyai-Naoshi in Japan, or Twiza in certain Arab nations. These cultural practices serve as collective mechanisms for addressing both collective and individual challenges in the wake of disasters. They represent ancestral collective units and practices with diverse functionalities that transcend boundaries. In the case of Storm Alex, these communal survival units and practices were automatically activated during and following a 48 hour complete blackout. We observe its emergence in the qualitative analysis of ninety eight interviews. For operational purposes in the French context, we refer to it as "MINGAS" which stands for "Mouvement d'intervention immédiate, générosité et actions solidaires" or "Immediate intervention movement for generosity and solidarity actions". Notably, we have observed that this movement remains active in the long term after the disaster. The key to the success of this unit lies in the culture of sharing embraced by the valleys' inhabitants. Continuous mutual aid and acts of solidarity have empowered local residents and serve as an example of social resilience. After the event people have shown a heightened sense of responsibility. However a work with state institutions is necessary for a better coordination but it remains unfinished.

Keywords: Community Resilience; Disasters; Mutual Aid; Sharing Practices; Solidarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-12-18
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env
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Published in United Kingdom Alliance for Disaster Research - Annual Conference 2023, Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK 2023, pp.40, 2023, ISBN: 978-1-86218-224-0

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