Module: Early Warning Section: Disaster Information and Warning

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Risk Communication
Session 2 Early Warning
EDUCATION
DISASTER
RECONSTRUCTION
RESTORATION
PREPAREDNESS
BEFORE THE EVENT
AFTER THE EVENT
PRE-IMPACT
EMERGENCY
Disaster
IMPACT
EARLY WARNING
Motoyuki Ushiyama
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Contents
Early warning as an application of disaster risk
communication

• Time-constraint and real-time communication
• Hierarchical information structure and command
  control oriented.
• ? Blocking factors of early warning system
• Redundancy is necessary in the system
• End victims active participation

Support for vulnerable people
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Position of early warning in the disaster
management cycle

• During a disaster
• forecasting, warnings, evacuation, real-time
  observation.

Warning and Hazard Type

• Weather disaster (heavy rainfall, flood,
  windstorm)
• Possible to issue a warning before disaster.
• Earthquake
• Not possible to announce pre-disaster warning.

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Levels of a weather disaster warning messages
Disaster Impact level
High Low
Time
Forecast (Daily information)
Hazard
Advisory (Alert information)
Disaster
Warning (Action trigger for organizations)
Evacuation (Emergency message for residents)
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Command control oriented message transmission
routes
Coast Guard
Community
Prefectures
Municipality
Meteorological Agency
Telephone company
Public broadcasting station
broadcast
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Factors that may block the transmission of a
Warning Message

• Examples of Technical Blocking Factors
• Technical trouble of information transmission
  system
• Break up of communication lines or power failure
• Examples of Human Blocking Factors
• The person who uses the information system does
  not understand how to use it.
• The person who receives the information does not
  notice the fact.
• The relay person who receives information forgets
  or mistakenly neglects to contact and convey the
  message to another party.

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Redundancy as a fail-safe device for Warning
Transmission System
Governmental office
Other equipments
Municipality equipments
Local government office
Police
Fire station
Volunteer fire defense organization
Loud speaker van
Loudspeaker
Mass media, Community radio broadcast
Residents
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Community citizens active participationTaiwanese
simple rainfall observation device

• It is significant that local residents measure
  rainfall by themselves.
• They can realistically understand and get hands
  on experience on how much rainfall means and
  how dangerous it is to them.

Simple Rain-gauge in Taiwan The River Bureau has
distributed this to residents in order to help
prevent sediment disaster. Residents can thus
observe rainfall. If rainfall amount reaches over
the red line, they should immediately evacuate
independently.
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Support for Vulnerable People

• Vulnerable people are those who need special
  assistance at the time of disaster.
• physically handicapped persons, the elderly,
  pregnant women, small children, poor people, etc.
• Even healthy people who do not know an area well
  are also considered vulnerable people.
• Foreigners and travelers are examples

• Identify what kind of vulnerable people are in
  the area.
• Have a plan how they will be helped in case of a
  disaster.