France: the final hours of the Signal, a French symbol of rising water and erosion
The Le Signal building, built in 1967 and doomed to destruction due to coastal erosion.
It has been abandoned since 2014 and must be destroyed this Friday, February 3, 2023. AFP - JEAN-PIERRE MULLER
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The destruction site of the Le Signal building in Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde) begins this Friday, February 3, in the presence of the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion and the Secretary of State for ecology.
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From the top of its 4 floors and 78 apartments, Le Signal is quite a symbol.
Built in 1967, this building is a reflection of the sometimes excessive real estate development of the time.
But since 2014, it has become more of an illustration of coastal erosion.
Indeed, when it was built 56 years ago, Le Signal was 200 meters from the sea, the beach then stretched as far as the eye could see.
Currently, a strip of sand of only ten meters separates it from the waves.
An effect of coastal erosion which now threatens hundreds of municipalities in France.
In these territories, the coastline is receding very quickly, forcing the authorities to raze constructions whose safety is no longer guaranteed.
This is the case in Gironde with the demolition of the Signal, it is also the case for example in Seine-Maritime where the campsite located in Quiberville will be installed elsewhere, far from the waves.
In France, 864 coastal municipalities are threatened by coastal erosion.
They can, thanks to the climate and resilience law, benefit from financial and technical aid to anticipate risks, but only 126 have applied for it.
“
It is an illustration of what should no longer be done, that is to say continue to build in threatened areas,
explains Stéphane Béchu, deputy for Vendée and author of a report on the coast published in 2019.
Among the most threatened territories, I would mention Martinique in the Overseas Territories.
A town like Biscarosse
[Gironde, Metropolitan France, editor’s note]
is particularly affected by the retreat of the coastline.
We also have territories very concerned in the Channel and in the Vendée.
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