Early Warning System
When we were working in in the North West Frontier Provinvce (NWFP as it was or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as it is now known) - we were consulting to the Federal and Provinicial Government on a Civil Defence Project through the Ministry of the Interior. We developed a programme in Disaster Risk Reduction in the area and was keen to know about any local programmes and preparation for possible hazard response and disasters and we found there were many.
One such example is the Chitral Goat Herders who had a method of alerting others and it was well known locally. (There is a fairly well known document available for download by Provention Consortium.) Whether it is a technologically advanced method of using satellites and computers through satellite communication or fibre optic cable to tell of a possible earthquake or tsunami; or whether blowing a horn to tell the locals in the next village of an impending hazard that may threaten them - Early Warning Systems are invaluable as part of the Disaster Risk Reduction methods.
Early Warning System: Terminology
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. 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. (Source: UN/ISDR Terminology)
Early warning systems empower individuals and communities threatened by hazards to act in sufficient time and in an appropriate manner so as to reduce the possibility of personal injury, loss of life, damage to property and the environment, and loss of livelihoods. The expression "people centred early warning systems" is used to emphasize that warning systems must recognize human needs and human behaviour, and must be developed with local participation from both women and men.
Assessing capacity to provide the four elements of early warning is the first step to identifying areas of weakness and necessary measures to fill gaps. Strategies to develop or strengthen early warning systems should ensure that all of the elements are effective: weakness in one early warning element can result in failure of the entire system.
Four elements of Early Warning Systems
Early warning is more than just a prediction Ea complete early warning system comprises of four elements:
1. Risk knowledge, systematically collect data and undertake risk assessments
2. Monitoring and warning service, develop hazard monitoring and early warning services
3. Dissemination and communication, communicate risk information and early warnings
4. Response capability, build national and community response capabilities
The expression “end-to end warning system” is also used to emphasize that warning systems need to span all steps from hazard detection through to community response.
SOURCE: Referenced from the United Nations - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM Def.
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.
Source: UN/ISDR