Multi-hazard early warning systems: a checklist

This checklist is a key outcome of the first Multi-hazard Early Warning Conference, which was organized by the International Network for Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (IN-MHEWS) 2 from 22 to 23 May 2017 in Cancún, Mexico. It updates the original document, Developing Early Warning Systems: A Checklist, which was produced as an outcome of the Third International Conference on Early Warning: From Concept to Action, held from 27 to 29 March 2006 in Bonn, Germany.

The checklist, which is structured around the four key elements of early warning systems, aims to be a simple list of the main components and actions to which national governments, community organizations and partners within and across all sectors can refer when developing or evaluating early warning systems. It is not intended to be a comprehensive design manual, but instead a practical, non-technical reference tool to ensure that the major elements of an effective early warning system are in place.

The document is broken into two interrelated parts that should be read in order. The first section provides useful background information and overarching issues important to early warning. The second part is a series of practical checklists of actions and initiatives that should be considered when developing or evaluating early warning systems.