By Mathieu Normand
Published on
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the Seveso site low threshold of Saipol To Grand Crown (Seine-Maritime) suffered a fire on the night of August 14 to 15, 2021. It was brought under control fairly quickly, but quickly questioned, even worried some of the inhabitants. Now the Alert SMS of the Metropolis of Rouen, a system put in place this year, is arrived 12 hours later.
In the still sensitive context linked to the Lubrizol fire and the authorities’ promise of greater transparency on industrial incidents, this delay caused the discontent of several associations.
SAIPOL fire, no SMS alert received from the metropolis? ! The last alert dates back to April.@NicolasMayerNMR is this normal?
Fortunately there is the press to inform us @ ManonLoubet2 @UVLubrizol @ASL_Rouen @Lindgaard @raphtual @ChristopheHub– RouenRespire (@RouenRespire) August 15, 2021
Better to laugh about it… What?#saipol #seveso # rouenmetropolis #chemistry #fire #risk #normandie #prefecture #GovernmentCastex #Danger #rouen pic.twitter.com/PMnrG4ITI9
– Union Of Victims Of Lubrizol (@UVLubrizol) August 15, 2021
“No need to give instructions”
Contacted initially, the Metropolis did not respond to our requests. The cabinet of the mayor of Rouen has for its part delivered some elements. “The system put in place by the Metropolis has the primary utility of alerting, when necessary,” says one. An alert is intended to warn of a danger, to give instructions or recommendations to be followed in an emergency. “
The rapid control of this fire did not “need to give instructions or recommendations to follow”, according to the City. An SMS was still sent the next day. “This device can also be used to inform, even a posteriori, by transparency. In this case, that is what was done. Following the information SMS sent, we also had positive feedback from people who were unaware of this incident. “
“It is not for elected officials to decide whether to inform”
The SMS was sent at the end of the morning, but was received by some in the early afternoon for technical reasons. For Pierre-Emmanuel Brunet, president of the Rouen Respire association, this 12-hour period could be explained by other means than a desire to inform a posteriori. “It is because I put the pressure by sending a message on the networks that things have moved,” he says. There is a need for transparency. It is not for elected officials to decide whether or not to inform the population, which anyway ends up knowing thanks to the press. As much as it is the authority which intervenes to give the details, to avoid any catastrophism. “
If he judges that the implementation of this warning system in the territory to compensate for the late arrival of the cell broadcast is a good thing, Pierre-Emmanuel Brunet hopes that its operation will be improved. He compares in particular with what has been set up in Le Havre: “When you go to Allo industrie, you have everything, straight away. Even if the situation remains open to criticism in Le Havre, the information is multi-channel, fast, detailed, even for minor incidents, and above all, there is follow-up. “
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