Catherine Fouchier – Hydrology researcher, RECOVER unit, INRAE(testimonial from the “30 years of research for flood prevention” dossier – 2022)
“In the team, we work on the anticipation of flash floods, which particularly affect small, unmonitored rivers. During my thesis, I worked on the AIGA method, which models flows on these rivers and estimates the frequency of the floods modelled. The less frequent an event, the more potentially dangerous it is. In 2017, the Schapi wanted a flash flood forecasting system, VIGICRUES Flash, which our experience with AIGA, already deployed in the PACA region, enabled us to make rapidly operational. The subject of flood forecasting is complex and constantly evolving, as is our hydrological model, which is now part of our SMASH platform. It combines hydrological and hydraulic models, allowing them to be enhanced and tested, and then parameterised so that they reproduce river behaviour as closely as possible. One of the next steps will be to incorporate rainfall forecasts. SMASH is also due to be deployed on Reunion Island, where questions specific to the local topography and climatology will be asked. All these developments are supported by the Schapi.
Testimonial from our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
30 years of research into flood prevention
The risk of flooding is the leading natural hazard in France in terms of impact and extent. As experts in water-related risks, six INRAE scientific teams are helping to implement flood prevention policy. They are working on tools and methods for forecasting and preventing this risk, which are presented in this dossier.
