Sometimes simple low-tech solutions, where communities are at the heart of decision-making, prove the most effective. In the Solomon Islands, a hazard-prone archipelago of 992 islands in the south Pacific, locals from one remote island created a community-based early warning system using a truck horn as a siren and a solar-powered three-colour emergency light system to monitor floods.

To be effective, early warning requires an ‘all of society’ approach, where investments in forecasting technology are coupled with local actions taken by government authorities, civil society and at-risk communities themselves. 

On 28 September 2018, a 7.4 magnitude undersea earthquake off South Sulawesi in Indonesia, generated a tsunami that killed almost 4,000 people.  Half of those who died were unable to escape the tsunami waves as warnings failed to reach them in time. The long chain of command between government bodies meant the evacuation order came too late and power outages delayed public alerts via text message and local sirens. Some people were reluctant to evacuate without an official warning while others tried to reach higher ground only to find evacuation routes blocked by collapsed buildings.

Warnings of a sudden onset disaster such as a tsunami or cyclone should prompt timely evacuations. But early warning and early action can be highly context specific depending on the nature and stage of a hazard, the available technology and the ability of the affected population to react. A slow-onset disaster such a food crisis caused by climactic factors may develop over a period of months or years, requiring constant monitoring and various interventions at different stages.

In the winter of 2017 / 2018, the livelihoods of thousands of Mongolian herders were threatened when their livestock faced starvation due to summer drought followed by freezing winter conditions – known locally as ‘Dzud’. Information from crop and food security assessments, long-range weather forecasts and monitoring of livestock market prices, triggered early action by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), which released emergency funds, enabling vulnerable herders to take preemptive measures to protect their precious animals. Most bought sufficient feed which allowed them to maintain the condition of their animals through the winter and sell their goat cashmere in early spring, for higher prices.

Most disaster losses arise from small-scale emergencies that go unnoticed by national governments and the media, and which have to be managed by affected communities themselves without national or international assistance. Where poverty, conflict, climate change and disasters collide, risks are higher. 58% of deaths from natural disasters occur in the world’s top 30 most fragile states.

Saving lives and reducing losses requires investment in national early warning systems. But empowering local communities is also key. They are always the first responders in any disaster event and know best what they need to safeguard their families and homes.

Mapping the risks in their communities, planning evacuation routes, conducting regular disaster drills, learning life-saving first aid skills and improving flood drainage – are just some of the measures that communities can take before disasters strike. Men, women, the young and old and those with disabilities all have a role to play in keeping their communities safe and ensuring that no-one is left behind.

Hazards

Cyclone Earthquake Tsunami

Themes

Early Warning