Gauthier Delomez 5:26 p.m., November 30, 2022

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will send a circular to the prefects which lists the measures to be adopted in the event of a power cut this winter, due to the energy crisis.

In a latest version that Europe 1 has consulted, it is confirmed that all emergency services will be unreachable during a load shedding, with the exception of 112.

Elisabeth Borne warns of possible interruptions of the telephone network.

In the latest version of the circular that the Prime Minister must send this Wednesday evening to the prefects, and that Europe 1 has obtained, Élisabeth Borne lists the "preparedness and crisis management measures when a measure occurs national programmed electrical load shedding" applicable as of now.

Among these, it is confirmed that "one of the consequences of the interruption of the electrical distribution is that it will lead to interruptions in electronic communications (mobile and fixed telephony)".

The call for help largely disrupted

This also concerns the call for help, as reported by Europe 1. "In these areas, users will not be able to reach the emergency services (emergency call numbers 15, 17, 18, 115, 196)", writes the Prime Minister, who nevertheless hopes that 112, the European emergency call number, will work.

"In these situations, the use of 112 will be a palliative because it is a number accessible regardless of the operator, therefore with a much higher chance that the call will be routed, since the area of issue would be covered by at least one operator."

In this circular, which places the prefects at the heart of the system, Élisabeth Borne specifies that they will benefit from a "mapping of the areas which would not be covered by 112."

These prefects will have to involve local actors (elected officials and local authorities, state services, economic and associative actors) to define palliative measures and to strengthen security.

Activation of "crisis cells" in town hall

To compensate for the lack of a telephone network, Élisabeth Borne wants the prefects to ask "the mayors concerned to activate a 'crisis cell' (...) and to provide in the town hall or in predefined places a physical presence capable of relay the alert to the emergency, health and safety services, for the duration of the load shedding and the possible cut of the telephone network.