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Preparedness

The knowledge and capacities developed by governments, response and recovery organizations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate, respond to and recover from the impacts of likely, imminent or current disasters.

Preparedness action is carried out within the context of disaster risk management and aims to build the capacities needed to efficiently manage all types of emergencies.

This theme covers aspects related to preparedness, contingency planning, disaster response plans, prevention, anticipatory action.

What’s the difference between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster risk management (DRM)?

Latest Preparedness additions in the Knowledge Base

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Money in hand
Update
From reaction to prevention: using remittances to act before climate crises hit

An initiative by the H&M Foundation and Mercy Corps and co-funded by global financial technology platform, Adyen, is testing how early-warning systems can trigger remittances before climate disasters strike.

H&M Foundation
Diagnosing pandemic disaster risk management through impact chains and forensic analysis: an intertwined DRM model and key lessons from the hospital network in Bucharest, Romania thumbnail
Documents and publications
Diagnosing pandemic disaster risk management through impact chains and forensic analysis: an intertwined DRM model and key lessons from the hospital network in Bucharest, Romania

This study aimed to examine the nuanced interplay between pandemic impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation options, and how this unfolded across the disaster risk management DRM cycle (preparedness, response, and recovery).

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
Update
Canada’s aerial wildfire‑fighting plan is a start — but it is not yet a strategy

The Canadian government recently announced that it will lease a fleet of 10 firefighting aircraft and other support assets to be deployed for the 2026 wildfire season.

Conversation Media Group, the
Update
Teaching event legacy of the NSW 1952 bushfires

The 1952 bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) stand as one of the most significant events in Australia’s bushfire history, not for their death toll, but for the enduring lessons they offered in fire management and mitigation.

Timberbiz
El Niño 2026: a closing window for anticipatory action in Latin America and the Caribbean thumbnail
Documents and publications
El Niño 2026: a closing window for anticipatory action in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action in Latin America and the Caribbean has published a new briefing on El Niño and anticipatory action in the region.

Anticipation Hub
Brazil readiness assessment: delivering anticipatory social protection thumbnail
Documents and publications
Brazil readiness assessment: Delivering anticipatory social protection

This study uses the ASPIRE tool to evaluate the readiness and effectiveness of social protection systems in Brazil, identifying gaps and opportunities to improve anticipatory measures and climate resilience.

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Update
Krakatau and the architecture of vulnerability: Colonial governance, risk perception, and disaster impact

This article uses the 1883 eruption of Krakatau as a historical case study to examine how social vulnerability, colonial governance, and failures in risk communication affected the scale of disaster impacts.

Homeland Security Today, KMD Media LLC
Storm surge responses in Macau: Early warnings and soft adaptation thumbnail
Documents and publications
Storm surge responses in Macau: Early warnings and soft adaptation

In this study, the authors investigated three major typhoons in Macau—Typhoons Hato (2017), Mangkhut (2018), and Ragasa (2025)—to examine changes in residents' evacuation behavior and government responses.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (Elsevier)
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