Early warning, early action
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Material Information

Title:
Early warning, early action
Creator:
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Geneva, Switzerland
Publisher:
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2008
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Emergency management ( lcshac )
Risk management ( lcshac )
Floods -- Africa ( lcshac )
Hurricanes -- Caribbean Area ( lcshac )
Heat waves (Meteorology) -- Balkan Peninsula ( lcshac )
Climate change -- Solomon Islands ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Africa
North and Central America
North and Central America -- Haiti
Europe
Oceania -- Solomon Islands

Notes

Summary:
This document is a handbook prepared by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) highlighting the need to implement early warning actions by integrating available scientific information with community mobilization for disaster risk management (DRM) prior to actual disaster or health emergencies. With advances in science and technology, a wide range of early warning mechanisms have become accessible to communities facing disaster risks. Despite these technological advances, the IFRC, which is often among the first to provide relief to disaster victims, is turning to people-centered early warning systems that emphasize the need for preparedness, prevention, and mitigation. Understanding that disaster risk is the interaction between conditions of vulnerability and hazard, the IFRC asserts that climate change is increasingly becoming a central intervening variable in determining the frequency, intensity, and location of disaster. Since the exact impact of climate change on the potential for disaster is difficult to ascertain, the IFRC suggests that the uncertainty of the event should not be hidden from the public when promoting early action. Two key guiding principles should be adhered to in this regard: i) prepare for the certain and uncertain; and ii) ensure action is guided by clear communication. The IFRC’s preparedness efforts include: raising public awareness of challenging disaster risks; improving community organization to increase their effectiveness in response and recovery efforts; and building community resilience. The second guiding principle focuses on getting communication right, ensuring that early warning signs are delivered to those in charge to act and making information accessible to communities at risk. The document draws on some good practices established in a variety of development contexts, from Southern Africa and the Caribbean, to South-East Europe and the Solomon Islands, in order to challenge the common perception that risk reduction is usually costly and requires major investments in technology. ( English )
Subject:
General Risk Management ( English )
Scope and Content:
Early warnings abound p. 1; Early action p. 2; Guiding principle 1: Prepare for the certain and the uncertain p. 2; Guiding principle 2: Communication for action is the key p. 4; Floods in Africa. Southern Africa: The power of early action p. 7; West and Central Africa: The power of early warnings p. 8; Hurricanes in the Caribbean. Caribbean: Early warning and expecting the expected p. 9; Haiti: The price of insufficient early action p. 10; The heatwave in South-East Europe p. 10; Climate change adaptation in the Solomon Islands p. 11 ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2008). Early warning, early action. International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Any part of this handbook may be cited, copied, translated into other languages or adapted to meet local needs without prior permission from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, provided that the source is clearly stated.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042608

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction