Leçons tirées de la crue torrentielle catastrophique du 2 octobre 2020 dans la vallée de la Vésubie (Alpes-Maritimes, France)

On october 2, 2020, heavy rain fell on the hinterland of Nice. Several valleys were affected, including the Vésubie valley, where severe human and socio-economic damages were reported. A feedback report (RETEX) on the effects of the torrential flood was carried out a few months after the disaster. This concerned the assessment of the geomorphological impacts of the torrential flood and gravity phenomena, the exposure of strategic networks to flooding and ground movements. The feedback report allowed a critical analysis of the prevention and management tools in place at the time of the flood. It underlines the vulnerabilities of this mountain territory, some intrinsic such as the diversity of natural hazards and their intensity, the enclosure of the valleys, the confined space... and others external such as the establishment of populations and activities in risky areas, the implementation of strategic or critical networks which are insufficiently adapted to the mountain context.