2nd Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference

2nd Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference

 

13 May 2019

10.00 – 11.00

WMO 

OPENING REMARKS 

Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction 

7  minutes 

 

SALUTATIONS/THANKS 

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Secretary-General Petteri Taalas and the World Meteorological Organization for hosting this timely event as we prepare for the 6th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction which will open on Wednesday.  

I would also like to thank our other co-lead, the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.  

This 2nd Conference follows two years after the 1st and is a sign that the International Network for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems is growing in strength and influence when it comes to advocating for, and guiding the improvement of, early warning systems.  

 

BACKGROUND 

Few things speak more clearly to the Prevention Agenda of the United Nations Secretary-General than our commitment here today to make multi-hazard early warning systems more widely available as called for by target (g) of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global plan adopted four years ago to reduce disaster losses. 

When we look at the disaster landscape over the last twenty years, we see that the largest loss of life has most often taken place in settings where early warnings were either not issued or there were unforeseen complications about reaching those in harm’s way in a timely and effective manner. 

Early warning should lead to early action, and it often does with the help of networks like the civil protection agencies, national disaster management agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent and other actors. 

We know that thanks to improvements in early warnings there are many people alive today because of the great progress made in the science and technology behind meteorological services, satellite earth observations, seismic alerts, and a spreading culture of disaster risk management and improved understanding of disaster risk. 

We saw a very vivid example of that just over a week ago as preparations unfolded across the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh for the arrival of Cyclone Fani, a category four storm of great destructive power. 

India bore the brunt of the storm and is still counting the cost in terms of damage to infrastructure but the early warning systems which are key to the country’s zero casualty policy were highly effective allowing the targeted evacuation of 1.2 million people before the storm made landfall in Odisha. 

However, the storms which took such a huge toll on human life in southern Africa last month tell another story, one that speaks to the ongoing need for improvements to early warning systems especially in low- and middle-income countries. 

This Conference is also recognizing that early warning systems are always a work in progress, that man-made risk is on the rise and that risk is taking on an increasingly urban aspect.  

Unpredictable weather patterns, the impact of climate change, persistent poverty, population growth in hazard-prone areas and the rapid pace of urbanization are all combining to influence the risk landscape in ways that constantly challenge the abilities of national disaster management agencies to stay ahead of the risk curve. 

We know that even when warnings are issued in a timely fashion many people can still lose their lives and livelihoods. And often it comes down to a lack of appreciation of the likely impact of the disaster event in question and a failure to prepare adequately for evacuations and safe shelters. 

Early warnings are particularly important in the agriculture sector where drought is an increasing challenge. Just last week Namibia declared a National Drought Emergency and announced a series of targeted measures to mitigate the worst impacts thanks to the drought early warning systems they have put in place.  

Improving monitoring and forecasting systems is a key concern of the 14 countries that have reported to date on target (g) using the Sendai Framework Monitor. Tanzania for example, has expanded the scope of its Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems to provide warning information on such natural hazards as drought, extreme temperatures, landslide, floods, strong wind and large waves. 

Early warning systems need to be people-centered and go beyond the technology to inspire confidence in the target populations. Four ingredients are necessary.  

In addition to monitoring and forecasting the hazards; there must be risk analysis and mapping; dissemination of timely warnings ideally with the authority of the government; and the activation of emergency plans appropriate to the threat including evacuations, preparedness and response. 

FOCUS ON MULTI-HAZARD 

So why the focus over these two days on multi-hazard early warning systems as opposed to single hazard early warning systems?  

A multi-hazard approach helps to bridge the gap between action on disasters generally, and on climate change in particular. One of the clear benefits of a multi-hazard approach to early warnings is the better integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. 

Historical patterns are no longer reliable guides and the adoption of an end-to-end, multi-hazard approach can prepare countries to take on the challenge of anomalous events, the likelihood of which are only increased by climate change.  

A focus is also required on the logical links between certain hazards through shared observation systems.  

The Climate Risk Early Warning Systems or CREWS initiative, a partnership of WMO, the World Bank and UNDRR, announced by France four years ago, is intended to strengthen end-to-end multi-hazard early warning systems in several least developed countries.  

The Sendai Framework commits UN member States to have in place national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020 which will inevitably have a focus on early warning as the bedrock of any plan to reduce disaster losses. 

Thank you and I look forward to your recommendations.  

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