Weather and climate resilience: effective preparedness through national meteorological and hydrological services
This report looks at the growing risks of weather and climate disasters to economic and social development, and urges the global community to act quickly to strengthen National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), which play a vital role as a country’s official source of warnings for weather hazards. It provides cost-benefit estimates of the return that countries can hope to achieve and underscores the significance of international collaboration to access data, knowledge, and know-how of the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic conditions that drive the global weather patterns that affect individual countries. It also offers a recommended approach that has been tested and implemented in Europe, in Central and South Asia, and countries in other regions.
The report takes an important step in this process by increasing the awareness of development agencies and national governments of the role of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and NMHSs in reducing the impact of hydrometeorological hazards (heavy rain events, high winds, storm surges, flash floods and river floods) and improving national economic performance. It synthesizes recent experiences of the World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the WMO (World Meteorological Organization), and other development partners, and offers guidance on good practices that will help modernization efforts.