Early Warning Systems

INTRODUCTION

An early warning system (EWS) is technology and associated policies and procedures designed to predict and mitigate the harm of natural and human-initiated disasters and other undesirable events. Early warning systems for natural hazards include those designed for floods, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, landslides and drought. Other systems exist for a variety of events including missile launches, road conditions and disease outbreaks. Early warning systems are means by which people receive relevant and timely information in a systematic way prior to a disaster in order to make informed decisions and take action.

DURATION

5 days.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the course, participants will:

• Understand operational mechanisms and procedures for the prediction, forecasting, monitoring and response to the warning
• Examine the kinds of tools and products that are available or could be developed to integrate information into forms most useful for them to make decisions at various levels and set-up appropriate contingency plan or options to guide members of their organization against various hazards of different timescales.
• Design end-to-end early warning systems for several types of hazards including, action planning for disaster preparedness, emergency management and social response with respect to the early warning;
• Develop tools for early warning audits, identify current gaps in existing early warning systems and put in place enhanced people-centered early warning system
• Harmonization of the early warning system and disaster mitigation for effective disaster risk reduction
• Undertake risk assessment and design of multi-hazard end-to-end early warning systems for disaster risk reduction
• Develop strategies to institutionalize early warning systems into the process cycle of disaster risk reduction and development planning, emergency response, and preparedness activities
• Interpret and translate scientific information products into user-friendly formats and prepare & communicate tailor-made early warning information products to elicit a response from the at-risk communities
• Design and implement community-based early warning systems that are people centered and that can effectively contribute to the risk management process/risk reduction
• Evaluate and introduce public education and training programme for the community based early warning systems
• Apply emerging new generation climate prediction technologies for anticipating and managing disaster risks associated with climate change & variability

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Module 1

Introduction to End-to-End Early Warning System

• Overview of Basic Terminology & Concepts in DRM
• Overview of Hazards and possibility of EWS
• End-to-End EWS Framework and its Elements
• Institutional mechanism/ framework for EWS

Module 2

Hazard Detection, Monitoring, Forecasting & Information for Warning (HDMFW)

• Hazard Identification Process
• Risk Analysis: Probabilities and Consequences
• Risk Management: Options Analysis
• Detection, Monitoring, Forecasting & Information for Warning-Drought
• Detection, Monitoring, Forecasting & Information for Warning-Flood/Flash Flood
• Detection, Monitoring, Forecasting & Information for - Warning-Volcanoes, Earthquake and Tsunami