A flood simulation exercise of the Tessa wadi was organized this Tuesday on the outskirts of a large agricultural operation in the El Marja area, in the Bou Salem delegation (governorate of Jendouba), in order to test the intervention of rescue services and the protection of inhabitants.
The chosen scenario involved flooding of the localities of El Azima and Trakhna, along the wadi, after around 150 millimeters of rainfall fell in a short period. It anticipated the disappearance of a shepherd, several injuries, and homes surrounded and inundated by waters. The exercise focused on the missions of the members of the regional disaster risk reduction and the organization of relief, on their response to the situation and on the means to safeguard residents and protect their property.
The regional director of civil protection and rapporteur of the commission, Seifeddine Dakhlaoui, explained that the objective was to assess the level of preparedness of all responders faced with any natural risk, particularly floods. The maneuvers focused on rescuing and evacuating the injured, searching for the shepherd swept away by the waters, securing traffic, and eliminating auxiliary hazards.
For this exercise, supervised by the Governor of Jendouba and president of the commission, Taieb Dridi, all necessary equipment was mobilized. A field command post was installed and connected to a drone tasked with transmitting continuous images, in order to accelerate interventions and prioritize priorities. The governor called for raising the preparedness level of the various involved parties, as expected climate changes require immediate and rapid monitoring in a region known for its numerous dams and wadis and for its complex terrain.
