Red Cross National Societies promote Early
Warning Systems in four countries
arly Warning Systems
(EWS) are vital tools
for protecting lives and helping communities to be better prepared for disasters.
Through the Integrated Program and the Programmatic Alliance, National Red Cross Societies in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica facilitated the construction
of EWSs in the Aguán, Motagua, Paz and San Carlos river basins.
The work was developed in close coordination with the national risk management systems of each country, integrating the contributions of technical-scientific institutions responsible for monitoring and issuing forecasts within the national surveillance networks. Diagnoses were carried out for the EWSs with a basin approach for floods and meteorological droughts; these faclilitated the identification of areas of greater vulnerability, the evaluation of capacities for
monitoring and response capacity, and the
definition of necessary
operational resources. The synergies between different levels of government and society is intended to ensure that EWSs are effective and sustainable, contributing to community resilience.
E
We hope these efforts will strengthen local emergency capabilities, through EWS that facilitate more effective actions and coordinated
actions.
-Deysi Pavón,
German Red
Cross