First results from a wind-related fatalities French national database over the period 1980-2025

Many studies have examined flood-related mortality in many climatic contexts (USA, Australia, Mediterranean regions, etc.). While tropical cyclones have also been the subject of epidemiological studies, a gap remains on the wind-related fatalities in Europe despite the existence of fairly general databases (EM-DAT). Despite the significant human impact of these phenomena, data remains fragmented and scattered across press archives, institutional reports, and specific databases. A study conducted as part of a Foresee research project addresses the victims linked to wind phenomena. Following the FFEM DB protocol (Petrucci et al., 2019), a comprehensive database of wind-related deaths in France for the period 1980-2025 has been built including fatalities caused by windstorms, tornadoes, thunderstorm gusts, and episodes of heavy swell. For each fatality, the DB addresses the circumstances of the deaths and identifies vulnerability factors. The database also put together variables related to the spatio-temporal context, individual profile, and circumstances of the incident (time, location, etc.). The presentation aims at presenting a first statistical analysis of this database to highlight the highest-risk situations and their evolution over time. It helps to better identify the most exposed populations, frequent patterns of mortality, and to define prone areas and the seasonality of wind phenomena.