Early warning systems

From HFA-PEDIA

1 Early warning
2 Early warning systems (EWS)
3 Early Warning and Preparedness
4 ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning
5 Related documents

Early warning

Early Warning is the provision of timely and effective information, through identified institutions, that allows individuals exposed to a hazard to take action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response. In other words, Early Warning can be defined as the set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. The definition does not include a reference to the time scale on which a warning is given. Early Warning Systems include a chain of concerns, namely: understanding and mapping the hazard; monitoring and forecasting impending events; processing and disseminating understandable warnings to political authorities and the population, and undertaking appropriate and timely actions in response to the warnings.

Early warning systems (EWS)

Within the process of disaster reduction, known in some cases as risk management, early warning systems (EWS) play a crucial role in bringing together institutions from various sectors with diverse backgrounds with the common goal of providing people living in high risk areas with the proper warning so that losses might be minimized in the event of a disaster.

Although advances from one country to the next, or from one region to another can vary drastically, it is well recognized that early warning is an integral part of the efforts in reducing disasters and as such must be understood in the context of disaster preparedness. However, to be effective, early warning must be understood as a process which encompasses not only the forecasting of events both in terms of its timely appearance and geographical span, but also the most effective response by those people who are directly affected by such natural phenomena.

Early Warning and Preparedness

Early warning and preparedness plays a critical role in preventing hazardous events turning into disasters. Clear warnings, received in time, coupled with the knowledge of how to react, can mean the difference between life and death, or between economic survival and ruin, for individuals and communities.

Early warning is more than just a prediction – a complete early warning system comprises of four elements

Risk knowledge, systematically collect data and undertake risk assessments
Monitoring and warning service, develop hazard monitoring and early warning services
Dissemination and communication, communicate risk information and early warnings
Response capability, build national and community response capabilities

ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning

The Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning, PPEW, which started operations in 2004, will help the development of early warning and preparedness systems by advocating for better early warning systems, especially in development assistance policy and programs, collecting and disseminating information on best practices, and stimulating cooperation among early warning actors and the development of new ways to improve early warning systems. PPEW support international action necessary to more systematically integration of technical early warning capacities into policy and practice, and improve early warning systems worldwide in order to facilitate the development of effective, people centred early warning and preparedness systems. The Platform is advocating for better early warning systems, especially in development assistance policy and programs, collecting and disseminating information on best practices, and stimulating cooperation among early warning actors and the development of new ways to advance early warning systems. PPEW strongly supports the concept of people centred early warning systems which comprises four key elements of (i) risk knowledge, (ii) monitoring and warning service, (iii) dissemination and communication, and (iv) response capability.

See more: ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning


International Strategy for Disaster Reduction The Americas