Global assessment report on disaster risk reduction : costs and benefits of early warning systems

This paper evaluates early warning measures to be taken during disaster situations. Early warning systems can prevent deaths, but usually there needs to be infrastructure in place to accommodate the people who heed the warnings. Risk reduction is found to be most effective when there has been an investment in critical infrastructure. In Hong Kong, improving the housing structure made people safer in their homes during floods and typhoons, making evacuation unnecessary for most people. Upkeep of roads and bridges ensures that if evacuation is necessary, it can be done more safely and efficiently. Any warning system must keep people aware of their options, so as to increase their willingness to act soon enough. For many, the survival of their livestock is essential to their own survival in the aftermath of a disaster.