Early warning of disasters: Facts and figures
In her SciDevNet article Lucy Pearson gives an overview of early warning systems, their uses and limitations and the reasons for the existing gap between warning and action. One of her conclusions is that "there is a need for local knowledge and practices to be integrated with those of the science community, to improve forecasts and increase acceptance, ownership and sustainability of early warning systems. The UNISDR's Hyogo Framework for Action emphasises the importance of encouraging the use of traditional knowledge."
Lucy Pearson is research coordinator at the Humanitarian Futures Programme, King's College, London, and programme coordinator at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand. Lucy can be contacted at email@lucypearson.net