Rendre compte du rôle de l'alerte et de son effectivité dans la réduction des risques de catastrophes. Le cas des inondations en Allemagne, Belgique, et France de juillet 2021

The floods in Western Europe in July 2021 have highlighted the inadequacy of flood management. More than ever before, Germany and Belgium witnessed the extreme events that can affect territories in the context of climate disruption, and were directly hit by devastating floods causing tens of billions of euros in material damage, and hundreds of deaths. The violence of the disaster was widely publicized in the media, providing an opportunity to draw up a comprehensive feedback report on the events, and to identify gaps in risk management. A concatenation of sources has enabled us to highlight a phase of crisis management that has been particularly singled out: warning. This phase of risk management is a special one, as it is subject to time constraints and improvised choices and decisions. So, starting with the legislation on alert management in Germany, we will try to understand the gap between what is prescribed in the legal texts and the reality on the ground, which could explain certain shortcomings in the management system. Cooperation and communication between players are the fundamental skills required for optimal information transmission, and this may well hold the key to integrated warning management.