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Loss Data Workshop October 2014

Intro

23-24 October 2014, Venue: Emergency Response Coordination Centre, ECHO, Brussels, Belgium

The fourth meeting of the EU Loss Data working group aimed at reviewing progress and defining a roadmap towards EU guidelines and minimum standards for recording disaster loss data. The workshop gathered 32 experts from 21 Member States, 7 academic/scientific institutions (FEEM, CRED, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Kings College London, Universität Potsdam, CIMA Foudation, Politecnico di Milano), 5 Commission services (JRC, ECHO, REGIO, CLIMA, EEA) and international organizations (IRDR, UNISDR). There was broader interest from other services (DEVCO, ENV) and organizations (FINANS NORGE, FORSIKRING PENSION, Polish Insurance Chamber) that could not attend. The working group seems to have achieved critical mass and raises interest in many organizations.

The lessons learnt from available Member States inventories of loss recording system as well as comparison and compatibility of the EU loss data inventories with the international development of standards were compiled and analysed in the draft report: “Current status and Best Practices for Disaster Loss Data recording in EU Member States EU”. This report written with joint authorship/collaboration of EU Member States and other Working Group participants was received well by all participants. Overall, the structure, content, analysis and recommendations of the report were accepted. In the first part of the workshop, all participants provided corrections, additions, comments and suggestions to improve the report. This is the last step in the peer review process, and the report will be finalized within 2 weeks. This concludes the second phase in the process towards better EU disaster loss databases.

In the 200 p. report, experts from Member States discuss the current practices in loss data recording in their country. Although excellent systems exist, very few countries are currently in the position of providing aggregate statistics on overall disaster losses (all hazard, all sector, and all owner categories). There is a need for common terminology, frameworks, and a standard way of sharing information among Member States. Establishing appropriate loss databases will require also the development of broadly based consultation processes in Member States, both top-down and bottom-up, to build systems that can serve all stakeholders and are cost-beneficial due to economies of scale.

The second part of the meeting was forward looking, i.e. (1) towards EU guidelines for sharing disaster loss data, (2) setting appropriate and realistic targets and indicators in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction and (3) towards EU guidelines for establishing national, regional and local loss databases. A number of challenges were discussed, which can be addressed in future meetings of the working group: framework for human loss data and economic loss data, modelling economic losses, handling uncertainty.

The workshop participants agreed to take further this work with the following actions:

  • To work together towards the preparation of EU guidelines for loss data recording. A first version of the guidelines is planned for February 2015 and will be finalized by April 2015.
  • To prepare the next meeting of the working group for discussing the guidelines (early April 2015, in Ispra Italy). Once finalized, the guidelines will then be proposed at DG meeting under Latvian semester (29-30 April 2015, in Latvia).

Agenda

23 October 2014 (Meeting room: ERCC Crisis Room)

 

12:00 Lunch and reception  

13:00 Introduction (ECHO)

13:30 Presentation of State of the Art of Loss Data recording in EU Member States (JRC)

14:00 Technical interventions of working group partners per Member State, discussion of feedback

16:00 Presentations from newly joined MS

17:00 End of meeting

 

24 October 2014 (Meeting room: ECHO SDR 1/A024 Salle Rouge)

09:00 Introduction: summary of the results of DAY 1 and expectations on the roadmap (ECHO/JRC)

09:30 Setting the scene for the roadmap (Presentations and discussions)

9:30 Loss data for disasters targets and indicators in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction HFA-2 (all)

10:00 Collection of loss data at EU level: Guidelines for sharing loss data (JRC); Loss data for European Solidarity Fund (J. Wachter)

10:30 Collection of loss data at local level (S. Menoni);

11:00 Uncertainty (X. Romão)

11:15 Terminology and definitions: Economic losses (J. Mysiak); human losses, sectors, ownership, etc. (all)

11:45 IT systems for loss data recording and sharing, case studies for cost benefit analysis of loss databases (all)

12:00 Wrap-up and definition of further mandate of Technical Working Group (JRC/ECHO)

12:30 End of meeting: networking at lunch buffet