1. Community Based Early Warning Systems and Disaster Risk Management
Bridging the Gap

2. Introduction
Recurrent incidents and emergencies in SA play a major role in undermining the resilience of communities, as well as their ability to meet their basic developmental goals.
90% of natural disasters attributed to weather related
phenomena.
Necessary to implement wide variety of DRR techniques to
ensure effective preparedness. E.g. Early Warnings.

3. Introduction
Requires an alliance between local government and communities.
Empowering communities to ensure ability to cope with and withstand the impacts of the adverse effects of hazards.
DRR efforts must ensure participation of and ownership by communities in the conceptualisation, planning, implementing and monitoring of activities such as early warning systems (EWS).

4. Current Reality
Common practice for DM to receive an early warning message via a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) from SAWS for severe weather events.
Gap: Info often not disseminated directly to high risk communities who need to hear it, with messages tailored to their specific needs. Largely serves to put response personnel at the institutional level on stand-by to respond to imminent threats.
Result: High risk communities not provided with warnings relevant to their specific needs and capacities, and tend to suffer much greater impacts and losses relative to their less vulnerable counterparts.
Web
SMS

5. Not about what the weather will be, but about what the weather will do
Current Reality
Recently, through collaborative efforts between SAWS and the NDMC, the ‘vulnerability gap’ in the EWS is being addressed by the Impact-Based Severe Weather Warning System (SWWS).
AIM: DM partner with SAWS to ensure timeous
early warnings reach highly vulnerable communities
who need to hear it most and take appropriate
action to get out of harm’s way.
Based on expected socio-economic impact
considering local conditions of vulnerability, and the likelihood of the impact occurring.
Not about what the weather will be,
but about what the weather will do

6. Current Reality
Currently the protocol for Municipal DMCs when receiving severe weather warnings in the Impact Based SWWS includes:
Ensure relevant DM stakeholders are aware of the event;
Advise stakeholders on necessary preparedness actions;
Check / agree on /revise relevant response protocols;
Ensure response resources are on standby;
Dispatch /allocate resources /personnel to hotspot areas;
Relocate communities in hot spot areas.
There lacks reference to the urgent dissemination of
severe weather warning information received to people
living in high risk areas.

7. Role of DM in Impact Based SWWS
Collaboration between Forecasters and Disaster Manager
What does this mean....?
Disaster Managers will now be required to play an ACTIVE and ACCOUNTABLE role in the dissemination of early warnings to high risk areas
Question... Are systems, institutional arrangements and resources in place to ensure early warnings follow and reach the final mile?
Need to avoid the risk of repeating the same scenario or procedures

8. Bridging the Gap
DM is required to bridge the gap to overcome the weak linkage between the technical capacity to issue the warning and the local communities’ capacity to respond effectively to the formal systems of warning.

9. Approach
Integration of bottom-up and top-bottom elements of the EWS. CBEWS need not replace a National EWS, but should work to complement it
Disseminate early warnings to high risk communities, considering indigenous knowledge, conditions of vulnerability and available capacity within these communities.
Move beyond preparedness to respond at an institutional level, toward empowering communities to take collective precautionary measures and action in response to imminent threats.
Greater opportunity to prevent disasters and other incidents through early warnings, making response to these incidents less and less necessary.

10. Socio-Economic vulnerability
DMS Approach
Weather Forecast
Vegetation/Fuel
Topography
Socio-Economic vulnerability

11. Warning Communication
Collection and analysis of hazards, vulnerability and capacity to identify priority threats in a community.
Hazard knowledge details frequency, probability, magnitude and predictability, necessary to inform type of EWS required.
Vulnerability knowledge provides information of who needs to hear the EWS the most.
Capacity knowledge details existing resources necessary to put together an effective communication strategy.
Monitoring changes to threats through time through hazard and vulnerability tracking.
Watch, record and analyse changes.
Communities monitor and keep an eye on priority threats important to them.
Requires integration of both scientific and indigenous knowledge for an effective EWS.
Important link between monitoring and response capability, where information gathered in monitoring of EWS is used to trigger response capability through an effective communication strategy.
Scientific information repackaged into actionable messages to be communicated to at-risk communities.
Appropriate level of technology selected by communities should be encouraged, using a staged communication approach communicating increasing importance/urgency.
Prepares a community to respond to a hazard to move out of harm’s way.
Respond to a warning not to a disaster, to make responding to a disaster less and less necessary.
Communities to establish what actions they would be prepared to take in response to a known hazard, using their
Risk Knowledge
Warning Communication
Response Capability
Monitoring
DMP
Based on the above information, a clear distinction must be made between the monitoring and warning communication components, as stakeholders with very different skills and tools are responsible for managing each one (IFRCRCS, 2012). However, because the information gathered in the monitoring component directly informs the message in the warning communication component, individuals with the correct skill set are required to bridge the gap between the two components (Ibid). This is where the DMP plays a crucial role. Currently, it is common practice for the DMP to receive an early warning message via text message from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) for severe weather events. However, instead of taking the information and interpreting, repackaging and disseminating it to communities who need to hear it, often all the information serves to do is put response personnel at the institutional level on stand-by to respond to imminent threats.

12. Municipal Impact Table: Flooding
Minimal
Minor
Significant
Severe
Business as usual
Localised = Single District Municipality affected
Short term strain on emergency personnel
Widespread = Multiple Districts affected
Prolonged strain on emergency personnel
Some pooling of water on roads or in informal settlements
Day to day activities not disturbed
Wet roads
Minimal traffic congestion
Isolated mudslides and rockfalls
Localised flooding of susceptible informal settlements or roads, low-lying areas and bridges
Major roads affected but can be used, increased travel times
Minor motor vehicle accidents due to slippery roads
Closure of roads crossing low water bridges
Localised and short term disruption to municipal services
Localised mudslides and rockfalls
Flooding of roads and settlements
Danger to life Displacement of affected communities
Some communities temporarily not accessible/cut-off
Damage to property, infrastructure and loss of livelihood
Major disruption of traffic flow
Possible damage to roads and bridges
Disruption to municipal services
Mudslides and rockfalls
Widespread flooding of roads and settlements
Danger to life
Large communities not accessible/cut-off for a prolonged period
Widespread displacement of affected communities
Widespread damage to property, buildings and loss of livelihoods
Widespread transport routes and travel services severely affected
Major roads and bridges damaged or washed away
Widespread, prolonged disruption to municipal services
Widespread mudslides and rockfalls
Municipal Impact Table: Flooding

13. Risk knowledge
Disaster Management (DM) familiarise themselves with the impact tables for severe weather events e.g. flooding, in relation to the risk profile in which they operate
Workshop with communities
Identify high flood risk areas (Mapping hazards, vulnerabilities, critical facilities)
Gather indigenous knowledge to better inform risk profile
Determine need for CBEWS
Critical for information required by SAWS for IB SWWS

15. Monitoring
Establish monitoring capacities within the local municipality and among other existing role-players
Identify ways hazards are monitored through lived experiences, and what indicators they track or act on (indigenous knowledge).
Determine if risks identified and prioritised by communities are already being monitored.
Establish a community based early warning committee, involving community members originally involved with CRA process.

16. Monitoring Priority Hazard Monitoring by Institution
Monitoring by Community
Flooding
Weather
Water levels
Housing types / land use
Socio-economic conditions
Environmental cues (birds)
Physical cues (surgical scars)

17. Response Capability
Prepare response sheets for each priority hazard identified.
Link actions to impact tables and high risk areas.
Involve ALL stakeholders.
Contribute to contingency plans, clearly outlining SOPs by all role-players at the community and municipal level. Detailing ‘who does what when and how’ in response to staged warnings, for each priority hazard.
Take part in drills and simulations at the community level, and review of results thereof.

18. Response Capability Flooding COMMUNITY BASED ACTION PLAN Priority Risk
Early actions that are feasible now
Early actions that could be possible with support
Flooding
Clear gutters/stormwater drainage
Sandbags around properties
Remove livestock from flood prone area
Evacuation (Emergency displacement areas)
Raise furniture using bricks
Safe transport of children to school
Manage leaks
Clear stormwater drainage
Dig furrows to redirect water away from household
Clear debris adjacent to rivers/near bridges
Gather important documents/meds
Activate flood safety volunteers
Avoid low lying roads and bridges
COMMUNITY BASED ACTION PLAN

20. Communication
Contribute to development of messages relevant to context and needs (share original message from SAWS, but add relevant information specific to the needs of the high risk area/group).
Communities identify appropriate staged and colour coded systems, aligned to the IB SWWS
Develop inventory of all available communication devices and channels to communicate messages to most at-risk / disadvantaged households.
Select best combination of devices and channels available to develop a communication strategy.

21. communication SAWS NDMC
National Organs of State and other national stakeholders
MEDIA
PDMC
Provincial Organs of State and other provincial stakeholders
MDMC
Municipal Organs of state and key responders
Municipal & Ward Councillors
Community Structures
Traditional Leaders
Community/High risk area

23. Communication MDMC Traditional Leaders Priority Risk
Communication mechanism
Hazard information (probability/location/ magnitude)
Messages needed
Response actions required by the community
Flood
Whistles
Colour coded flags
Traditional instruments
Loud hailers
Yellow
Take precautionary measures
Be alert, monitor conditions, avoid low lying roads/bridges
Orange
Take action
Gather all important documents (ID/birth certificates etc), medication and other important items and evacuate if necessary. Dig furrows to redirect water, clean gutters and stormwater drainage, raise furniture using bricks.
Red
Take extreme action
Gather all important documents, medication and other important items and evacuate to higher ground, place sandbags around the house, children kept at home/school until water recedes, keep animals away from flood prone areas

24. Communication MDMC Traditional Leaders Priority Risk
Communication mechanism
Hazard information (probability/location/ magnitude)
Messages needed
Response actions required by the community
Flood
Whistles
Colour coded flags
Traditional instruments
Loud hailers
Yellow
Take precautionary measures
Be alert, monitor conditions, avoid low lying roads/bridges
Orange
Take action
Gather all important documents (ID/birth certificates etc), medication and other important items and evacuate if necessary. Dig furrows to redirect water, clean gutters and stormwater drainage, raise furniture using bricks.
Red
Take extreme action
Gather all important documents, medication and other important items and evacuate to higher ground, place sandbags around the house, children kept at home/school until water recedes, keep animals away from flood prone areas

25. communication FEEDBACK! SAWS NDMC
National Organs of State and other national stakeholders
MEDIA
PDMC
Provincial Organs of State and other provincial stakeholders
MDMC
Municipal Organs of state and key responders
Municipal & Ward Councillors
Community Structures
Traditional Leaders
Community/High risk area

26. Training
Education
Awareness

27. Yellow Orange Red Take precautionary measures
Be alert, monitor conditions, avoid low lying roads/bridges
Orange
Take action
Gather all important documents (ID/birth certificates), medication and other important items and evacuate if necessary. Dig furrows to redirect water, clean gutters and stormwater drainage, raise furniture using bricks.
Red
Take extreme action
Gather all important documents, medication and other important items and evacuate to higher ground, place sandbags around the house, children kept at home/school until water recedes, keep animals away from flood prone areas

29. Simulation
TESTING

30. Conclusion
Challenge: Bridging the gap between ‘scientists’ and ‘high risk communities’ in the dissemination of critical information for imminent threats.
Moving beyond preparedness at an institutional level, towards collective precautionary measures and action in response to imminent threats.
Local governments have first legal responsibility for DRR, partnering directly with communities and SAWS in developing CBEWS.
Robust information management systems (IMS) required, with good quality data to inform the need and assist with the monitoring of EWS.
Implementation of the Impact Based SWWS provides favourable top-down foundational element required for establishing bottom-up CBEWS