Disasters in Gabon

Gabon uses protection civile, or civil protection, for disaster prevention, warnings, rescue, assistance and recovery. Law 007/2023 provides the newer legal framework for prevention, disasters and humanitarian crises. The Plate-forme Nationale pour la Prévention et la Réduction des Risques de Catastrophe (PNPRRC) supports coordination between public authorities and other sectors. The Ministère de l’Intérieur, de la Sécurité et de la Décentralisation oversees protection of the population. The DGPC handles risk maps and warnings, national and sector plans, emergency coordination, needs assessments, assistance files and restoration of services. Governors organize provincial ORSEC plans; ORSEC is the national emergency-response planning system. Prefects, sub-prefects and municipalities carry out local measures. Sapeurs-Pompiers, Génie Militaire, Marine and search-and-rescue services provide rescue support, while the Croix-Rouge Gabonaise assists with preparedness, first aid, water and sanitation, shelter, cash support and psychosocial assistance. Heavy rain, urban flooding and river flooding have the highest practical relevance. More than 90% of the population is urban, and the coastal zone is strongly exposed. Strong winds and thunderstorms recur, especially in November and December. Landslides affect some local areas, while coastal erosion and coastal flooding add exposure along the coast. Drought is another risk. Industrial, oil, road and marine accidents become disaster concerns when they affect many people or critical infrastructure. Flood operations affected Estuaire and Ngounié in 2024; flooding in Franceville in 2023 affected about 3,000 people and about 500 households. A Plan d’Exposition aux Risques (PER) identifies land according to hazard exposure. Zone 1 represents very high risk without reliable protection, Zone 2 represents medium risk where prevention is required, and Zone 3 represents lower risk. PER preparation can include studies, maps, land-use rules and public consultation, followed by municipal or departmental adoption and state approval. The Fonds de Compensation et de Réhabilitation (FCR) has a legal financing framework based on state and municipal funds, fines, operator contributions and donations. The DGPC also prepares national ORSEC plans, exercises and resources. Gabon does not have a publicly verified, uniform multi-hazard warning chain covering the whole country. The DGPC's Service Cartographie et Alerte is responsible for early warning. The Cabinet du Ministre des Transports is registered with the World Meteorological Organization as a warning issuer, using French CAP-RSS messages for geophysical and meteorological hazards, but the WMO register does not specify a warning area. Local authority and ministry announcements, WMO or CAP messages and Croix-Rouge communications may therefore all be relevant. Public real-time hydrological coverage and a single nationwide dissemination system have not been verified. No nationwide disaster hotline has been verified; a hotline was announced during Libreville flooding in January 2026, but the published source did not provide its number. A reported emergency normally moves from an alert to the Préfet, Governor, DGPC or an ORSEC structure, followed by deployment of firefighters, military engineering, security and health services and the Croix-Rouge Gabonaise. During an official evacuation instruction, leave the danger area, keep away from floodwater and unstable slopes, and avoid exposed coastal, industrial and port areas. ORSEC provides for evacuation, but no publicly accessible national shelter map, standardized shelter list or uniform evacuation hotline has been verified. Local accommodation and assistance depend on the incident and the authorities involved. The DGPC records damage and needs, maintains sinistré information and prepares assistance or compensation files. Sinistré means a person or household affected by a disaster. Access is assessed case by case through authorities, the DGPC or the Croix-Rouge Gabonaise. Gabon has no publicly verified automatic nationwide cash payment, standard compensation amount, standard deadline or standard fee for every disaster. A 2024 IFRC DREF flood operation budgeted CHF 257,260 for assistance to 2,445 people, including relief items, cash, hygiene and water-and-sanitation support. A 2026 wind-damage response concerned about 300 households, with an extension covering 430 households in Mouila and Franceville. Private insurance claims follow separate contractual procedures. Recovery includes remise en état, meaning restoration of damaged services and infrastructure, coordinated by the DGPC and other authorities. The 2025 PADIG programme, worth USD 150 million, supports climate-resilient roads, schools, green spaces, water systems, drainage and flood protection in Oyem, Lambaréné, Koulamoutou, Franceville, Mouila, Lebamba and Ndendé. Recovery funding can combine state resources, the FCR, Croix-Rouge and IFRC support and development finance. Critical infrastructure includes roads, drainage, water and wastewater systems, electricity, schools, coastal and port facilities and oil or mining installations. Maintenance and resilience differ between local networks. Operators of classified facilities, known as ICPE, prepare a Plan d’Opération Interne (POI) for incidents inside the facility; the state prepares a Plan Particulier d’Intervention (PPI) when an incident could affect surrounding areas. Authorities are responsible for warning, protection, rescue, needs assessment and assistance planning. Residents and other affected groups have access to public information and consultation during the PER process, while customary land use in risk zones remains subject to PER rules. Municipalities and provinces participate in planning and ORSEC measures. ICPE operators have emergency-planning and safety duties. An individual's compensation amount is not automatically guaranteed. Check the current instruction from the responsible local authority and verify every emergency number locally before relying on it.