In February 2010, storm Xynthia devastated the Atlantic coast, leaving more than 500,000 victims in its wake.
In total, 53 people – including 12 in Charente-Maritime – were killed and 79 others were injured.
Through a project called “Submersion and resilience: the memory of Xynthia”, the Cronos association proposes to collect and compile the documents and objects linked to this dramatic event (contact: association.cronos@gmail.com).
“A tool for resilience”
For two years, around ten researchers imagined this initiative and now benefit from the support of the Fondation de France, the Ministry of Culture and several local authorities.
“We want to document Xynthia and integrate this material into a database accessible to researchers and populations,” explains Yann Leborgne, geographer, associate researcher at the University of Angers (Maine-et-Loire) and coordinator of the association. Kronos.
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All testimonies are sought, whether oral or written, in the form of photos, videos and even objects, he specifies.
These pieces, Yann Leborgne hopes, will make it possible to assemble a puzzle and feed the collective memory in the face of the risks of marine submersion.
“We had forgotten that this phenomenon is possible and relatively common.
We once had the right reflexes but the memory has been lost.
We must reinstill this culture of risk and use this memory as a tool for resilience,” argues the research geographer who will coordinate for three years partners as diverse as the universities of Angers, Poitiers (Vienna) and La Rochelle (Charente). Maritime), disaster victims associations or the Marais Poitevin Regional Natural Park (Deux-Sèvres).
The Cronos association is therefore launching an appeal to coastal residents and more particularly to those living in Vendée and Charente-Maritime, “on both sides of Aiguillon Bay”.
This collection work could also extend to the inhabitants of the Bay of Bourgneuf (Loire-Atlantique), which is also affected by Xynthia.