Executive Council Advisory Group on Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

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WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ADVISORY GROUP ON NATURAL DISASTER PREVENTION AND MITIGATION

FIRST SESSION

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 18-19 MARCH 2005

FINAL REPORT

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1.0Opening of the Session

1.1.The first session of the WMO Executive Council Advisory Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (the Group; also, ECAGDPM) was held on 18 and 19 March 2005, at the WMO Headquarters in Geneva (Annex 1). In his welcoming remarks, the Chairman of the Group, Dr. Ivan Obrusnik, recalled that Congress XIV established the crosscutting Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM) program and that Executive Council (EC) – LVI approved the establishment of the Group. The Chairman noted the synergy between this meeting and that of the EC Advisory Group on Role and Operations of NMHSs, both in the members common to both groups and in the several issues that overlapped between the two advisory groups.

1.2.In his welcoming remarks, the Secretary-General, Mr Michel Jarraud, noted that 2004 had already been marked as a very severe year for natural disasters, the origins of many of which were hydro-meteorological hazards, and many countries worldwide were inflicted with considerable loss of life and socio-economic impact. However, the Asian tsunami disaster’s impact and devastation reached an exceptional level in terms of the scale of human loss, associated damage, number of countries affected and related response and recovery efforts. He stressed that WMO is working actively to ensure that its relevant capabilities would help accelerate the development of the Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) including the national alert and response mechanisms. Secretary-General provided examples from WMO preparations for the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) and response to the tragic Tsunami disaster, where through a coordinated approach, WMO had been more effective in its response and has received more visibility. He noted that WMO is joining forces with UNESCO-IOC and other key agencies to ensure that Tsunami Early Warning Systems will soon become a reality in the Indian Ocean, and also in other regions at risk. As the first step, the WMO Global Telecommunication System (GTS) provides significant potential for timely and reliable exchange of tsunami warning messages and related information between the appropriate government agencies. Beyond GTS, WMO is working to promote and implement a multi-hazard approach to TEWS, particularly in the context of National Alert and Response mechanisms through a more systematic approach to enhancing the NMHSs capabilities for dissemination of warnings, their educational materials targeted at their stakeholders and through NMHSs training.

1.3.The Secretary-General emphasized that while natural hazards may not be avoided, by integrating hazard mapping, risk assessment and early warnings, with prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures, nations can prevent natural hazards from becoming disasters. He stressed that WMO and NMHSs could contribute significantly through a strong and sustainable multi-hazard strategy for disaster reduction around the world. The Secretary-General stressed the importance to determine users’ needs and requirements; identify gaps in knowledge and capabilities; establish relevant partnerships with organizations in the public and private sectors including strong linkages to government authorities and the risk management community at international, regional and national level; and, ensure that through effective coordination across our relevant programmes and activities, the needs and gaps are addressed effectively.

1.4.The Secretary-General pointed to the fact that early warnings systems do exist for many natural hazards, but stressed that WMO and NMHSs must work together with partners to improve them. The challenge is to ensure that all countries, particularly the least developed countries, have the systems, infrastructure, human capacity and organizational structures to develop and utilize early warning systems. He stressed that nations must recognize that investing in preventive activities should lead to significant savings over time. In addition to deploying resources to strengthen pre-disaster systems for early warnings, hydro-meteorological risk assessment should be an integral part of any development plan in every country. In closing, the Secretary-General urged the Group to also discuss the resources necessary to ensure that DPM Programme can accomplish its tasks successfully, effectively and in a timely manner and urged the Group to address resource requirements of the Programme.

1.5.The Chairman thanked the Secretary-General for his opening remarks and added that WMO should follow the outcome of the WCDR and extend its capabilities and contributions by strengthening its partnerships, stressing the importance of partnership with UNESCO – IOC.

Adoption of the Agenda
The agenda was adopted (Annex 2).
Review of the Background
The terms of reference of the Group were reviewed (Annex 3). The Chairman stressed that the ECAGDPM must find a way to identify the most important goals of the WMO Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme, and review activities and accomplishments of the Secretariat since EC-LVI. Furthermore, the Group should consider the implications of some of the latest developments (e.g., the Group on Earth Observations – GEO) for enhancing early warning capabilities and determine activities that could lead to a higher visibility for WMO and NMHSs. Finally, the Group must address the preparation of documents for the next EC and ultimately for the next Congress.
Progress of DPM Programme since EC-LVI. The Group was briefed on activities of the DPM in the following areas, i) Coordination of WMO activities for the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, ii) Development of promotional materials for WMO activities in Disaster Reduction, iii) Coordination and development of WMO’s strategy and proposal in response to the Asian Tsunami Disaster and successes with resource mobilization, iv) Initiation of the coordination activities of DPM within WMO Secretariat, including mapping of the activities of WMO Programmes, v) Activities related to Technical Commissions and Regional Associations, vi) Activities to evaluate potential partnerships among international and regional organizations, initiatives and programmes, vii) Evaluation of partnerships with the private sector related to hydro-meteorological of information.

Discussion: A consistent theme for the DPM was stressed early in the discussion: the necessity to avoid bureaucracy while building on the effectiveness of WMO Programmes and NMHSs. The Group stressed the need for a clear understanding of the Secretariat’s approach to crosscutting activities related to climate and the linkages to disasters. The importance of the regional component of the Programmes was noted, and it is expected that regional associations in their next sessions might consider establishment of a working group on DPM. The Group noted the need to establish and strengthen partnerships and that WMO must clearly identify other organizations capabilities, determine its unique role compared to others, and potential areas of collaboration.

It was noted that the tsunami disaster had raised awareness of the world to disaster response, which is an excellent opportunity for advancing activities related to early warning systems and prevention, hopefully not just for tsunami but also for a multi-hazards approach to disaster reduction. The tsunami disaster is just an example, but one of great importance because of the amplitude and the extent of destruction. Incorporation of meteorological and hydrological information is essential and the role of NMHSs needs to be promoted with politicians.

It was noted that many resources at the national level are unfortunately distributed through different organizations and do not reach the NMHSs. While not all NMHSs have capabilities (and/or the mandate) for tsunami warning, all can be helpful related to multi-hazards and their alert mechanisms and infrastructure may be utilized for dissemination of tsunami warnings.

3.3.World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) –

3.3.1.The preparations for, activities during, and actions that followed the WCDR were described by the Secretariat. The advance planning and effective coordination among programmes and with representatives from the NMHSs led to a successful participation in the Conference. Through the Secretariat’s working closely with the drafting committee and the Member country delegations, WMO’s strategic goals were assimilated into the outcome document of the Conference.

3.3.2.The Chairman stressed that every NMHS should be recognised as the “single voice” for warning services in their respective country, under their mandate. However, such recognition should always be ensured by the quality of warnings issued by NMHS.

WMO and NMHSs could benefit from,

Stronger partnerships,

Concrete action plans with respect to different regions and their specific needs and capabilities,

Stronger linkage between hydrology and meteorology,

Offering their infrastructure for dissemination of alerts and warnings,
Building capabilities for hazard mapping and risk assessment,

Coordination of activities across WMO Programmes, Technical Commissions and Regional Association,

Establishment of expert teams for disaster reduction. These have to be accompanied with a sound resource-mobilization plan. The need to address technological and chemical disasters that were either originated by natural disasters or that occurred independently was noted, along with the importance of the WMO Emergency Response Activities. The need to share definitions of hazard, vulnerability, risk, risk assessment and other relevant terminology with the WMO community was stressed.

It was noted that the current name of the Programme (Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation) might be misleading as WMO activities spanned the entire spectrum from Prevention and Mitigation, to Preparedness and Emergency response and recovery. The word, “Natural” might be removed from the Programme’s title, if possible, to make it more generally applicable.

3.4.Other relevant developments and opportunities

3.4.1.Tsunami Early Warning System – The Group was briefed on WMO’s coordinated approach to responding to the Tsunami disaster and presented WMO’s strategy, approach and activities in this area. WMO has taken immediate action to establish strong recognition of its critical role and relevant contributions in this area among the countries at risk, as well as the donor countries. WMO’s activities are focused in four areas:

i)Ensuring that its Global Telecommunications System (GTS), which is operational in the Indian Ocean would accommodate various tsunami – related data and early warnings during the interim period as well as longer term.WMO’s GTS is currently utilized for data collection and dissemination as well as dissemination of tsunami early warnings for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (TWSP). WMO in collaboration with the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency held a multi-disciplinary technical meeting, inviting experts from UNESCO-IOC and all interested countries to develop a technical specification work plan to guide the necessary modifications to the GTS in the Indian Ocean region (14-18 March, Jakarta, Indonesia). Funds of the order of 1.3 Million USD are required for the completion of all the tasks outlined in the GTS upgrade proposal. To this end, WMO had received commitment for 400,000 USD and had made plans to raise the remaining 900,000 USD over next few months.

ii)Promotion, development and implementation of multi-hazard end-to-end early warning systems with consideration for other hazards, which pose a more frequent risk, such as tropical cyclone and storm surge.

iii)Raise awareness on i) the critical role of the NMHSs as operational organizations responsible for the issuance of around-the-clock early warnings for a wide rage of hazards related to weather and water, such as tropical cyclones, storm surges and floods; and, ii) the potential for all NMHSs to make significant contributions to reducing national and regional risks of threatening natural hazards, given appropriate resources, technical and organizational capacity, and strong interfaces with their national risk management communities.

iv)Training workshops and seminars of its scientific and technical programmes (such as the Public Weather Services Programme) as part of WMO’s educational and promotional activities targeted at NMHSs, the decision-makers and the public, to: i) Enhance NMHSs capabilities in delivering effective early warnings for multi-hazards, including tsunamis (if it is in their mandate), ii) Increase collaboration and partnership between NMHSs and end users, and assist in developing and strengthening the NMHSs’ educational and awareness-raising activities that describe the characteristics and impacts of multi hazards including tsunamis.

A USA proposal was described, for strengthening the Tsunami Early Warning system in the Pacific and the development of Tsunami Early Warning Systems in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. It was announced that USAA would commit to supporting the DPM’s tsunami related activities, which are a good starting point for all hazard activities. USA warning statistics indicates a 75 % false alarm rate, and the observation of an earthquake does not usually mean that a tsunami will result. Ocean buoys are critically needed for this determination. The USA plans to install a network of Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoys in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Caribbean (1 buoy every 1000 KM along the known subduction faults: 32 DART buoys in the Pacific and the Atlantic and the Caribbean. Nearly 57 DART buoys would needed to cover the world’s oceans in that manner. The observing and regional and national tsunami early warning centers are just one component of what would be needed in an end-to-end Tsunami early warning system. Effective dissemination, public understanding and community response are essential components of a successful early warning system, and the RANET system was noted.

It was noted that capabilities with regards to seismic and tsunami early warning varied significantly from country to country. Furthermore, countries need a system for communicating the warnings, which depends on individual countries requirements. A major hurdle would be data sharing issues, as early warning systems particularly for tsunami and also other hazards would experience elevated false alarms if data is not available and shared among the parties involved.

Concern was expressed as to who would fund such activities. NMHSs can contribute significantly to an early warning system, as they are the only operational agencies performing services around the clock and would be able to perform the proposed tsunami-warning role. However, lack of connection among the NMHSs, and knowledge gaps of the politicians of the current WMO capabilities, pose major problems. The Group noted that there is need for a greater integration of services at the national level.

The discussion reached consensus on the following issues:

i) Need for a multi-hazards end-to-end early warning approach leveraging off the existing capabilities to ensure effective and immediate response,
ii) Effective and reliable communication capabilities,
iii) Need for strong multi-hazard educational programme targeted at Public, decision-makers, media and other stakeholders,
and, iv) Ability to respond effectively to support disaster recovery and restoration. The Group concluded that the Secretariat should identify areas to which NMHSs successfully contribute and act.
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) – The GEO issued a Communiqué from the EOS III meeting in Brussels, relating to the GEO Support for Tsunami and Multi Hazards Warning Systems. One of the nine “high priority societal benefits areas” of GEO is disasters, and the WMO DPM Programme and WMO Space Programme will be effective mechanisms for interfacing with GEOSS. WMO is taking a leadership role in ensuring a more coordinated and effective utilization of space technologies for addressing monitoring, data collection and dissemination needs for disaster prevention, preparedness and response, with a multi-hazard approach.
Report on the Education and Training Symposium to be carried out by the WMO ETR Programme. The next ETR symposium on training of the meteorologist and hydrological community will focus on developments of effective products for disaster reduction.
Small Island Developing States (SIDs) and Least Developing Countries (LDCs) – A brief review of the Secretariat’s actions to develop WMO strategy for SIDs and LDCs was provided, which also described the Mauritius SIDS meeting in January 2005. Disasters constitute major challenges to both SIDs and LDCs.

Discussion of item 4 (Revisions to the DPM Implementation Plan) was carried out in conjunction with item 8, and is reported under item 8.
Multi-Hazard Approach to Disaster Reduction – Natural hazards, which can be of hydro meteorological origin (e.g. windstorms, snowstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, heat waves, frost, forest fires, floods, flash floods, droughts and storm surges), or other types (smog, earthquakes, chemical spills, landslides, etc.). Warnings are only part of the cycle of activities in disaster reduction. It would be critical that the NMHS work would not stop with issuance of a warning, but would continue through linkages established in the disaster reduction decision process in their countries. The NMHSs should consider their critical role as “input” into various aspect of disaster reduction taking into account also man-made disasters rather than just delivering products. The RODOS (the European Real time Online Decision Support system for nuclear disasters) was described. RODOS exemplifies the closer ties that are needed between neighbouring NMHSs in the Regions. The Group noted that NMHSs should cooperate closely with emergency structures, which can result in better recognition of NMHSs.
Regional Activities, Needs, Gaps and Requirements to Enhance the Role of WMO - The Chairman requested that the members of the Group provide comments on the issues; challenges, gaps and needs related to a multi-hazard disaster reduction activities of NMHSs within their regions, as the first preliminary assessment of these issues prior to EC-LVII. It was requested that theMembers of the Group provide their input before the end of April to the Secretariat.

6.1 Major Challenges and Issues facing NMHSs –
The meeting discussed challenges and issues facing NMHSs related to disaster reduction.