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Qualitative Guide to run Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with communities and local authorities on Early Warning Systems

This tool provides structured guidance for conducting focus group discussions (FGDs) with communities and local authorities to assess the effectiveness, inclusivity, and trustworthiness of Early Warning Systems (EWS). Part of the IFRC’s Enhanced Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (eVCA) toolbox, it supports participatory assessments of local risk knowledge, communication channels, and preparedness capacities. The guide can […]

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Communication Landscape Analysis Tool for Early Warning Systems

This tool is designed to help practitioners identify the most trusted and accessible communication channels and sources within communities, with the goal of strengthening the reach and effectiveness of Early Warning Systems (EWS). It provides step-by-step guidance — from preparation and data collection to analysis and action — for developing communication strategies that are tailored

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The hidden power of community: Unveiling social capital’s role in Australia’s disaster resilience

Social capital – the social ties and connections between people and communities – is a crucial component of disaster resilience. But evidence that demonstrates the economic benefit of investing in social capital has been anecdotal and primarily qualitative, with an absence of empirical and quantitative evidence. This has meant it can be difficult for governments

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A building with a sign reading 'Local Emergency Operation Center (LEOC)' in both Nepali and English, located in Kailali district, Nepal.

Understanding Barriers to Early Warning Messages for People Living with Non-Communicable Diseases in Nepal

About this Paper This study explores the challenges that people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs) face in accessing early warning messages (EWMs) during disasters in Nepal, focusing on flood-prone districts of Kanchanpur and Kailali. Findings reveal delayed and inaccessible warnings, language barriers, and low trust in message accuracy, leading to limited preparedness. Many PLWNCDs struggle

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Red Cross volunteers train migrants in Bangladesh on first aid, early warning systems, and other skills so they can respond to flooding, cyclones, and other hazards.

Pre-Financing Anticipatory Action: Lessons Learned from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

Since 2015, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) has been at the forefront of anticipatory action, developing trigger models and testing early action activities for cyclones, floods, and heatwaves. By 2024, BDRCS had validated three Early Action Protocols (EAPs), targeting over 200,000 people, with an estimated activation cost of 940,000 CHF. Between 2019 and 2024,

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Community members in Bangladesh take part in a disaster preparedness drill, carrying the Bangladesh Red Crescent and national flags through a flooded area. The exercise highlights the role of anticipatory action and pre-financing in enabling swift early response to coastal hazards.

Pre-Financing Anticipatory Action: A Practical Guide for National Societies

Anticipatory action is expanding and being mainstreamed across the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. As National Societies add more Early Action Protocols (EAPs) and scale up their anticipatory action programming, developing an anticipatory action pre-financing strategy is essential to ensuring timely and effective implementation. The window for anticipatory action is a critical period when humanitarian

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Double Jeopardy: Addressing compound flood and heatwave events

Compound events, such as floods and heatwaves occurring in close succession or simultaneously, can interact in a way that creates more severe outcomes than if they occurred both individually, as multiple stressors can exceed the coping capacity of a system more quickly than individual stressors occurring in isolation. Urbanization exacerbates these risks through the urban

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Understanding evacuation behavior during cyclones: Evidence from Bangladesh

This paper examines evacuation behaviors in response to approaching cyclones using survey data collected through face-to-face interviews with residents in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Various statistical models, including probit, panel probit, bivariate probit, and multinomial logit models, are used to analyze the determinants of both past and future evacuation decisions, as well as the choice

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Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: Achievements, Gaps, and Future Directions

This article charts the policy evolution of warnings within the United Nations context and outlines the progress and remaining gaps of Early Warning Systems (EWS) in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). Ten years into implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR), there has been a renewed focus on warnings

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Assessment of Early Action for Flood Protection in Makhuwira: Understanding Last-Mile Community Response to Flood Warning in Chikwawa District

About this Paper Flooding remains a major threat to last-mile communities in Malawi, particularly in Makhuwira, Chikwawa District, where poverty and limited resources constrain disaster preparedness. This study investigates the effectiveness of early warning systems and household-level early actions during Cyclone Freddy, using a mixed-methods approach that combines household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus

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