The village of Miquelon seen from the air.
© BRGM - Xénia Philippenko
What can be done to help a village that is in danger of being submerged? In 2014, when François Hollande visited Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French archipelago in the North Atlantic, he did not really have any solutions for the 600 inhabitants of Miquelon-Langlade and their 340 homes, situated just 2 metres above sea level. A ban was simply put in place on new constructions from 2018 onwards.
However, twelve years on, the project to relocate the village is well under way, and the first houses are already beginning to pop up 1.5 kilometres from the original village.
From denial to facing up to reality
The mindset of people of Miquelon began to shift when strong winds hit the island in November 2018; two storms with gusts exceeding 150 km/h caused extensive damage to buildings and flooded 32 homes in the middle of the night. The village suddenly found itself having to manage a crisis situation in order to ensure the safety of the inhabitants and minimise the damage as much as possible.
The shock caused by the event led to a shift in public opinion: climate change is very much a reality, and the village would need to be relocated, whether people liked it or not. At that time, it would be untrue to say that the islanders had totally bought into the idea; it was more a case of resignation.
Then, four years later, in 2022, Hurricane Fiona dealt a final psychological blow: the hurricane, which passed very close to the archipelago, caused widespread destruction and major damage in the neighbouring Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands. The people of Miquelon understood that if the hurricane had struck their island, the damage would have been far more extensive and severe than in 2018.
So, alarmed by the effects of the storms, and driven by a new team on the municipal council, the local residents ultimately pushed for the idea of relocation, which turned into a genuine territorial project from 2020 onwards, and finally became a reality thanks to the support of the region’s institutional authorities (the Prefecture, the central government departments and the Regional Council).
In June 2021, the village of Miquelon as seen from the ferry that connects it with Saint-Pierre.
© BRGM - Xénia Philippenko
Where to move to?
From that point on, the question was where the new village should be built. In 2020, the Regional Council – the local authority that owns the land on the archipelago – initially proposed moving the village to the Cape peninsula, where the higher ground would ensure the safety of both people and property. However, this remote location was not to the liking of many inhabitants, who preferred staying on the island of Miquelon, where they would have better connections to the neighbouring island of Langlade (or "Little Miquelon").
In the end, a second site was chosen to rehouse the people of Miquelon just 1.5 kilometres from the village’s original site. The location is at an altitude of at least 10 metres, thus taking into account scientific projections regarding sea-level rise.
This decision brought certain tensions to the fore, since the Regional Council had to agree to amend its spatial planning document (the Territorial Development and Urban Planning Blueprint) in order to allow construction to take place in an area that was previously a nature reserve. The Council finally agreed to sell the land for the symbolic price of 1 euro. Once the project had been approved, the process continued with preventive archaeological excavations on the site of the future village, environmental impact surveys, and a lengthy phase of financial and legal planning concerning the actual roll-out of the relocation plan.
Adapting in a sustainable way
As early as 2022, the island's inhabitants and the Town Council started working together to plan the development of the new village, with the help of an urban planning and architectural firm. However, rather than just rebuilding the village exactly as it was, a broader review was carried out in order not just to relocate the village but to build it back better.
The final proposal therefore included high-performance thermal insulation, cycle paths, collective housing, and a "refuge" for residents who were not able to evacuate in the event of major storms or flooding.
As the world faces major climate and environmental changes, the time-frame of the project makes it possible to genuinely focus on sustainability, since the relocation of Miquelon is scheduled to take place over a period of fifty to seventy years. This time-frame allows for flexibility in the management of the project and will enable new scientific knowledge to be progressively incorporated as the project moves forward. It will also give the population time to get used to such a major upheaval in their daily lives.
Taking into account the repercussions of leaving one's territorial roots
It is essential to consider the psychological upheaval that such a relocation represents. Indeed, when people are forced to leave behind their territorial roots – their homes – this can be quite disorienting, since they also leave behind memories and emotions linked to familiar places or a neighbourhood. This can have significant psychological consequences for individuals and a detrimental impact on community ties. It is therefore important to help people navigate through these changes, by putting in place collective initiatives and social support schemes.
So far, in Miquelon, this has taken the form of intergenerational initiatives (symbolic walks for children), spontaneous community events, artistic projects (exhibitions, artist residencies) and a specific conference addressing this issue, organised by the Town Council.
Who will pay? Relocating a village is expensive
Demolishing buildings, planting trees and vegetation on the abandoned plots, building new houses and roads and connecting the new village to the electricity and drinking-water networks is a costly process, which requires financial support from several sources.
The French "Barnier" Fund, which is dedicated to compensating victims of natural disasters and preventing natural hazards, has been used to compensate households. The French government carried out a valuation of the homes of residents who had volunteered to relocate and purchased them through the Town Council. With the money they receive, these households build their homes on the new plot of land, which may be up to 40 per cent smaller than their original plot.
The total cost of these buy-backs is currently estimated at €70 million. The road and utility works, such as connecting homes to the municipal networks or building new roads, are being paid for by the Town Council, with support from the Prefecture. To cover all of these costs, the Town Council took out a long-term loan of one million euros from the Banque des Territoires.
What lessons can be learnt from the relocation of Miquelon?
Unfortunately, the case of Miquelon cannot be replicated as it stands, since too many factors are specific to the island's context and the fact that it is a French Overseas Territory. On the other hand, it provides plenty of ideas for other local authorities that might need to go down the same path.
Firstly, this relocation project is not being rolled out as a matter of urgency nor in the wake of a disaster, as has often been the case previously. Adaptation takes time; it must be anticipated and planned beforehand, and that is precisely what Miquelon is doing by adopting a very long-term strategy.
Secondly, it should be noted that this relocation project was facilitated by strong local political support, synergies amongst all the stakeholders involved and a certain degree of public support. Thirdly, the financial mechanisms for the buy-back of homes exposed to risks played a significant role in reassuring the households concerned. Finally, it is the long-term support for and involvement of the local community that will ensure the success of such a project.
