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APEC Urges Implementation of Disaster Early Warning Systems to Save Lives
Issued by the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working GroupAPEC member economies are accelerating the implementation of robust early warning systems to strengthen risk management and advance disaster risk reduction for all of the Asia-Pacific communities, including those most vulnerable to disasters by 2027.
A recent United Nations’ report showed that although there were lesser disasters recorded in 2022 compared to 2021, the impact of last year’s disasters were more severe. Over 140 disaster events occurred in the Asia-Pacific region in 2022—causing 7,500 deaths, affected over 64 million people and brought economic damage estimated to be over $57 billion. The report emphasized the necessity for economies in the region to invest massively in early warning systems.
“With APEC leaders leading us to a more sustainable and inclusive development, our group should contribute more to APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the Aotearoa Plan of Action,” said Yan Guan, co-chair of the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG). The group seeks to build capacity in the region so that APEC member economies can better mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and natural disasters.
“Against the backdrop of mounting and cascading natural hazards, we encourage emergency management agencies to shift our policy mindset from post-disaster relief to pre-disaster prevention, from single hazard reduction to comprehensive risk management, and from reducing losses to mitigating risks,” Yan added.
Officials, representatives from the private sector, academia and industry leaders discussed diverse approaches to early warning systems in the APEC region and explored a regional approach to this during their meeting on Tuesday in Seattle.
Communications system including timely and accurate dissemination of warnings that can reach rural communities are key criteria to an effective early warning system. Examples shared during the meeting include partnering with the private sector, rural communities and domestic media including TV, online and radio channels, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data, as well as using open source and digital platforms.
The meeting also assessed the impact of complex emergencies and disaster shocks to the region’s supply chains and ways to promote disaster risk reduction in supply chain management.
“Our ability to address emergent threats is rooted in the adaptability of our emergency management workforce and our strategic international partnerships,” said Cynthia Spishak, United States Host Economy Representative. To date, the EPWG has accelerated the implementation of effective disaster risk reduction and adaptive crisis management efforts across the region.
“Flexible, scalable, and adaptable organizations are best positioned to meet the demands generated by complex emergencies,” Spishak added
Data governance systems in the region is a key component to the discussion on strengthening the region’s climate resilience. Currently there is no single approach to collecting, interpreting and disseminating disaster risk data among APEC economies and there’s opportunities for cross-economy collaboration in this space.
“Every economy has put in place its own planning for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction, but I believe we will benefit from and empower ourselves by learning from each other,” Yan concluded. “I believe we all have a heart as big as our mandate—that is to work towards a region where disaster risks no longer threaten or destroy the well-being of people.”
Senior disaster management officials met in Seattle on Wednesday for the APEC Senior Disaster Management Forum chaired by the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell.
For further details, please contact:
Masyitha Baziad +65 9751 2146 at mb@apec.org
Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at mc@apec.org
Administrator Criswell: Urgent and Decisive Actions Needed to Safeguard Communities from Natural Disasters
Issued by the APEC Senior Disaster Management Officials' Forum
A string of costly wildfires, floods, hurricanes, typhoons and earthquakes have compelled APEC member economies to heightened collective actions to respond to the increasingly complex disaster landscape and instill long-term climate resilience.
“The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 70 percent of global disasters,” said Deanne Criswell, Chair of the 2023 APEC Senior Disaster Management Officials’ Forum, in her opening remarks in Seattle.
“In just the last few years catastrophic disasters from powerful typhoons, earthquakes and extreme wildfires to prolonged droughts and abrupt landslides have caused mounting economic losses and widespread shocks across our region with natural disaster-related costs losses resulting in an estimated US$100 billion annually,” added Administrator Criswell who is also the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator.
Administrator Criswell highlighted that the 21 APEC member economies are from both sides of the Pacific, account for almost 3 billion people and nearly 50 percent of global trade which means two things: frequent and severe disasters are impacting almost 40 percent of the global population and complex emergencies present a serious threat to the economic growth and sustainable development of Asia-Pacific.
“Amid this context, my message today is not one of despair rather I want to emphasize the significance of our work as crisis managers; to take urgent and decisive action and the importance of emergency preparedness and safeguarding every single community across Asia Pacific from natural disasters,” urged Administrator Criswell.
Addressing member economies at the meeting, FEMA Region 10 Regional Administrator Willie Nunn highlighted how in recent years the region, which includes the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, has experienced more floods, wildfires and extreme heat and that entire villages in Alaska have had to move as rising sea levels had engulfed their ancestral lands. He emphasized that no city, region nor corner of the world is immune to the disasters and that investing in climate resilience and disaster preparedness is as investment in our future.
During the forum’s roundtable, disaster management leaders shared how their economy’s management organizations are incorporating the principles of adaptability, flexibility and meaningful change to build strong and resilient communities, acknowledging that integrating communities into emergency decision-making process is a crucial element in ensuring equity and inclusion.
Disaster management leaders will engage with local communities in the state of Washington, including a visit to Mount Vernon where the city leveraged local, state and federal investment to build a flood wall that put an end to persistent flooding of the city’s downtown and which forms a part of a long-term plan to increase safety and revitalize local economy.
A visit to Starbucks Headquarters will demonstrate how this global corporation prepares its supply chain and operations for possible disasters, as well as showcase the model of public-private partnership to advance climate resilience.
Finally, officials will continue their stakeholder engagement with a visit to the Seattle Emergency Operations Center to see how local emergency management personnel are constantly adapting to prepare the city for a changing disaster landscape.
“We are facing one of humanity's greatest challenges adapting to a changing climate,” Administrator Criswell concluded. “Which is why today I want to be unequivocal about the task at hand; we must leverage our collective knowledge partnerships and experiences and devise innovative sustainable solutions to strengthen crisis management across APEC so that we can build disaster resilient equitable communities.”
For further details, please contact:
Masyitha Baziad +65 9751 2146 at mb@apec.org
Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at mc@apec.org
