Civil Security had not dispatched as many men outside metropolitan France since the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. 180 soldiers and 60 civilian firefighters are present in Saint-Martin. "The scale of the phenomenon [Irma] justified it", specifies lieutenant colonel Christophe (the family name cannot appear in the media, editor's note). The general direction of civil security and crisis management proposed to political decision-makers to intervene in Saint-Martin, precisely to carry out a pre-positioning at the announcement of the passage of Irma as a devastating hurricane; which Paris accepted. A first detachment of sixty men arrived on Monday, the day before the afternoon.
“This would allow us to pass on the information and have an objective situation report.
The men already on the ground were going to be able to specify the requests for resources in view of the next detachments already scheduled, "comments Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe.
Here, the mission of civil security is twofold: on the one hand, to provide support to the prefectural body before and after Irma. Two groups were thus formed, one in the prefecture, the second at the gendarmerie barracks in La Savane. On the other hand, bring assistance and help to the population, that is to say to bring them aid, water, food and tents. But just after the passage of Irma, the priority is to "reopen the roads", in particular the RN 7.
The military must be able to circulate to estimate the damage, send a first report to Paris and refine the needs for reinforcement.
"We went out on foot and there was the first obstacle: a 40-foot container in the middle!" Says Captain Joël, who was based at the La Savane gendarmerie. "Then we have a dead man. People came to get help from the gendarmerie for someone who had felt unwell, the men gave a massage but they could not do anything, "he continues.
For the immediate clearing and the reopening of the RN 7 towards the airport, two public works machines, including a backhoe loader, were requisitioned.
"We estimated 95% the number of homes affected," says Colonel Christophe. In Paris, "we indicated that there were no casualties in the detachment, that the main axis, the RN 7, was cleared and that the airport was functioning," he added.
Meanwhile, in mainland France, the second detachment of eighty men is preparing to leave. He will fly in the afternoon (metropolitan time) to Guadeloupe. He will arrive at Grand Case Airport "Thursday morning".
Civil security is completely autonomous. Its soldiers and firefighters move with all the equipment necessary to live locally. “We have a 48-hour supply of water and have brought food for 10 days.
In terms of accommodation, we are making requisitions, ”explains Lieutenant Colonel Christophe. In Saint Martin, the men are housed in the new shopping center at Hope Estate. The shops are transformed into HQ. In the empty spaces, dry showers and toilets have been installed, in another, the camp beds have been installed. In the space of the car dealership there are piles of trunks of equipment. A meeting room was also set up with computers, office chairs and cards on the wall. The operational center for civil security decision-making is however located at the lycée des îles du nord, also requisitioned by the State.
The island character of Saint-Martin generated a certain “complexity” and required a particular adaptation. If in mainland France you can ask for help from the surrounding departments, this is not possible here. "We rely on Guadeloupe which is also an island which itself relies on Martinique which is also an island and we must take this into account in our organization", points out Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent. A rear base was set up in Guadeloupe with ten men to whom the command in Saint-Martin sends up its needs, with the responsibility for Guadeloupe to organize the routing. Despite this island constraint, “we have worked very well. We never had a break-up, ”notes Lt. Col. Vincent.
Logistics were also made difficult with José and Maria; the first cyclone to hit the northern islands delayed operations and Maria required over-routing. "We made the decision to over-route to make sure we didn't miss anything," said Lt. Col.
On the ground, firefighters and soldiers are deployed to help the population. “We were there from the start. People may have felt that we were not there because they did not see us, we were in unmarked cars requisitioned, "said Lieutenant Adrien. They are on the roofs to cover them, in trucks to distribute water and food.
Their mission is to intervene in the event of an extreme emergency, the days following the disaster. Three weeks after Irma's visit, she begins to come to an end. The first part of the men are due to leave Saint Martin this week. A few days of rest and the soldiers will be ready to leave for other operations.
Source: www.soualigapost.com
To be continued in our next editions:
Civil security :
How does it help the people of Saint Martin (2/4)
"Something terrible" (3/4)
A real logistics challenge (4/4)
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