The prefect of French Guiana has activated the Orsec “drought” plan after low rainfall disrupted river traffic in the overseas territory. The prefecture announced the decision on Wednesday, 21 October. The Orsec plan is the emergency system that coordinates public and private resources to respond to a major disaster or crisis. The move was taken with local authorities and the affected towns to help isolated communities.
From Thursday, an operations centre backed by a civil security support mission will coordinate and prioritise civilian and military logistics every day. The goal is to deliver essential goods at reasonable prices, keep public education running for the return from the All Saints holiday, and keep drinking water production working, including on the coast.
The resupply operations will target towns with no road access: Maripasoula, Papaichton and Grand-Santi along the Maroni river in the west, and Camopi on the Oyapock river in the southeast. French Guiana has seen a major rainfall deficit for several months due to an exceptionally intense El Niño episode. The lack of rain has caused a sharp drop in river levels across the territory.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that returns every two to seven years. Surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific warm from spring, causing major changes in wind, pressure and rainfall patterns worldwide in the following months. The UN warned on Wednesday that the current El Niño could be unprecedented and literally exceed current monitoring scales.
Reference
Le Monde avec AFP. (2026, October 22). En Guyane, le préfet active le plan Orsec « sécheresse » pour ravitailler les communes isolées face aux effets d’El Niño. Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/outre-mer/article/2026/10/22/en-guyane-le-prefet-active-le-plan-orsec-secheresse-pour-ravitailler-les-communes-isolees-face-aux-effets-d-el-nino_6798413_1840826.html