North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas

Tsunami Information Centre

Empowering Coastal Children: Building Resilience and Awareness in French Schools

A pilot project commissioned by IOC UNESCO Tsunami Resilience Section performed in several coastal schools in France between mid-October to end-November of 2022 found that Atlantic French coast children are aware of storm surge risk, while Mediterranean coast children are more knowledgeable about tsunami risk. This project seeks to better understand how young children perceive sea level-related hazards, particularly tsunamis, storm surges, and sea level rise. The findings highlight the different levels of preparedness of schools and children for these three hazards, emphasizing the positive strides made by Mediterranean coast schools in France in educating children about tsunami risks, while Atlantic coast schools in France tend to focus on storm surge awareness. Likewise, the results of the survey in France suggest that proximity to the sea and coast plays an important factor in defining the perception of risks related to sea level. The further a child lives from the sea, the less concerned is to sea level-related risk.


Photo credits: Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua.

The Atlantic coast schools in France are less prepared for a tsunami than the Mediterranean coast schools in France already implementing local initiatives to sensitize and prepare children for a tsunami. Cities on the Atlantic coast of France have not yet started implementing any education and tools, including Tsunami Ready to be prepared for tsunami risk. However, these schools are better aware and prepared to storm surges than those on the Mediterranean coast of France.

Remarkably, children living along the Atlantic coast of France displayed an impressive level of awareness regarding storm surge risks. 74% of children expressed concerns about the potential impact of storm surges on their cities, 56% believe that the sea level will rise, and only 8% consider tsunamis will occur. In contrast, children in Cannes, situated along the Mediterranean coast of France exhibited a higher degree of awareness regarding tsunami risks. Approximately 54% of children in Cannes think a tsunami could hit the city in the next ten years, while 47,1 % believe storm surges may happen. This enhanced awareness can be attributed to the local initiatives undertaken in the Mediterranean coast schools of France, which have incorporated tsunami education into their curriculum, empowering children with a realistic understanding of potential risks. Overall, children have a good knowledge of storm surges but less understanding of tsunamis. The French education programs address sea level rise, especially in the Atlantic coast schools of France where many schools participate in marine courses and climate-related awareness programs.


Children carrying out an evacuation exercise in Cannes, France, as a local initiative to sensitize and prepare them for a tsunami. Photo credits: Michel Giroldo.

Interestingly, children believe that the coast guard (57%) and the firefighters (62%), followed by civil protection (40%), the city hall (15%), religion (3%), and superheroes (1%) are the entities that would best protect them in the event of a marine hazard. Besides, an intriguing finding is that children perceive tsunamis as distant threats and have catastrophic impressions of tsunamis in other regions. Very importantly, children do not appear to understand the speed of and how long a tsunami wave might take to arrive., which should be a focal point of future educational efforts.

The UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Resilience Section team developed the questionnaire survey in consultation with members of the Working Group on Public Awareness, Preparedness and Mitigation and Task Team on Tsunami Ready of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (ICG/NEAMTWS). In the IOC  Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) CoastWAVE project, the surveys have been conducted in seven countries and UNESCO IOC pilot Tsunami Ready communities. In this study, the survey questions were adapted and specially designed to target children from 8 to 14 years old, corresponding to the beginning of adolescence and the end of secondary school in France; and was conducted among 458 children with the assistance of town councils, the local civil security reserve, and teachers from the participating schools.

Education at this level is essential, especially when it comes to tsunamis, particularly as children view tsunamis as enormous and implausible waves. It is crucial to conduct awareness campaigns by incorporating education about sea level risks into educational programs beginning with the youngest children. This survey acts as a valuable tool for teachers, sparking the students' interest and generating meaningful discussions about coastal hazards.  It is also recommended to employ visual representations and images of sea level hazards and risks in the region to better raise awareness among younger children.

This project's findings are expected to help strengthen the resilience of schools and children to coastal hazards and risks. One key objective in the future is to expand the study to younger children in coastal schools in France and other countries of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean regions, involving all relevant stakeholders.