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Meeting 2012

Scientific Seminar On Natural Disasters: Bridging Science-Based Early Warning And Early Action Decision Making

Intro

7-8 November 2012, Venue: Centre Albert Borschette, Brussels

JRCUK Met Office

Concept

The key challenge for science-based decision making in disaster management is to bridge the knowledge gap between available real-time scientific analysis supporting early warning and actions triggering early response. In many countries, this knowledge is fragmented among different scientific and technical communities (meteorology, hydrology, geophysical, GIS). Moreover, the approaches utilising this knowledge are diverse and would be more effective with improved coordination across operational agencies (national disaster management centres, civil protection, public health, transport, economy, security), across-borders. The UK Met Office and the European Commission’s in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), are addressing these issues through, respectively, the recent Natural Hazard Partnership of 15 public sector agencies and the JRC’s support to European Commission services.

The JRC and the UK Met Office are organising a seminar to map the state of the art in science-based integrated disaster management in the EU Member States and International Organisations. The aim of the seminar is to start a process to bridge the distance between scientific and operational organisations from the Member States and across different disciplines through building sustainable partnerships to move forward from response to early action and prevention. As a short-term outcome, the seminar shall identify a small number of targeted areas where feasible partnerships for sharing knowledge and experiences will benefit national and European level services with positive impacts for the communities at risk.

Scope and Content 

  • The seminar aims at gathering a maximum of 100 inter-disciplinary experts on early detection, forecasting and warning of natural disasters as well as on impact assessment. The target audience includes scientists, practitioners and policy-makers across the EU.
  • The seminar aims to exchange the state of the art and best practices on translating scientific information into actionable advice for operational responders and policy makers. Specifically, the seminar will look at gaps and solutions in (1) transforming scientific-based early warning into early action (2) socio-economic impact assessment
  • The outcome should be a list of key areas where partnerships will accelerate science “pull through”. In order to keep it focused, the seminar will only consider a limited number of sudden onset disaster types in Europe namely riverine floods, coastal inundation and wind storms. The seminar will focus on the immediate preparedness (early warning) and response phases of the disaster cycle. The seminar will also very briefly address how disaster management can concretely advance climate change adaptation and what parts of the EU experience can be applied elsewhere in the world.

In order to keep it focused, the seminar will only consider a limited number of sudden onset disaster types in Europe namely riverine floods, coastal inundation and wind storms. The seminar will focus on the immediate preparedness (early warning) and response phases of the disaster cycle. The seminar will also very briefly address how disaster management can concretely advance climate change adaptation and what parts of the EU experience can be applied elsewhere in the world. 

Document

Minutes JRC-UKMetOffice Scientific Seminar On Natural Disasters_2012 

Agenda

7 November 2012

11:30-12:00 Registration

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:15-14:00 Opening session

  • David Wilkinson, Director, Scientific Policy and Stakeholders Relations, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
  • Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director, Strategy, Policy and International Co-operation, Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, European Commission, European Commission
  • Phil Evans, Director, Government Services, UK Met Office
  • Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director, Mainstreaming, Adaptation and Low Carbon Technology, Directorate General for Climate Action, European Commission

14:00-17:30 Panel Session 1: State of the art

  • 14:00 A. Early detection, forecasting and warning
  • Moderator: Paul Davies, Chair of the Natural Hazards Partnership, UK Met Office
  • Challenges for science supporting risk management David Kerridge, Director of Geoscience Research, British Geological Survey
  • State of the art in short range weather forecasting and warning operations Hans Joachim Koopert, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Member of the Executive Board of Directors and Head of Business Area Weather Forecasting Services
  • From science to operational use: experience from continetal flood forecasting and detection systems for crisis management and response Jutta Thielen del Pozo and Tom de Groeve, Scientific Officers, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
  • Discussion
  • 15:00 B. Socio-economic impact modelling
  • Moderator:Daniel Kull, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recoverry (GFDRR)
  • Assessing and modeling the economic impacts of disasters Reinhard Mechler, Head of the Research Group on Disasters and Development, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
  • Flood footprints based on satellite data - an example of collaboration between the Space industry and insurance industry Fiona Shaw, Executive Director, Global Analytics, Willis Group
  • The Hyogo Framework for Action: Socio-economic gains in investing in preventionPaola Albrito, Head of UNISDR Office Europe, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
  • 16:00-16:30 Coffee Break
  • 16:30 C. Early action and response
  • Moderator: Maarten Van Aalst, Director of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
  • Local levelAlix Roumagnac, President, PREDICT Services
  • National levelFabrizio Curcio, Italian Civil Protection
  • Early action and response: An EU perspective , Peter Billing, Deputy Head of Emergency Response Unit, Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, European Commission
  • Discussion

17:30-18:30 Panel Session 2: Challenges in the 21st century (first part)

  • 17:30 A. Changing context
  • Moderator: Rosario Bento Pais, Head of Unit Adaptation, Directorate General for Climate Action, European Commission
  • Intensity and frequency of extreme events in a changing climateVicky Pope, Head of Integration and Growth, UK Met Office
  • Adaptation to more extreme events, Frank Raes, Head of Climate and Risk Management, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
  • Challenges for Government and the value of an intedisciplinart approachStuart Wainwright, Cabinet Office, Assistant Director for Health, Environment, Energy and Transport
  • Discussion

 

8 November 2012

09:00-10:00 Panel Session 2: Challenges in the 21st century (second part)

  • 09:00 B. Specific gaps
  • Moderator: Peter Billing, Deputy Head of Unit 'Emergency Response', Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, European Commission
  • Case study on floods: gaps between science and in-field operationsLeszek Jelonek, Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management
  • Case study on floods or coastal inundation or wind storms: gaps between science and evacuation ordersBruno Maestracci, Director, National Joint Emergency Centre for Crisis Management
  • Communication with the public to warn and informAlexander Ross, Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Environment Agency and Jason Wakeford, Chief Media Officer, Environment Agency
  • Discussion
  • 10:00-10:30 Coffee Break

10:30-11:45 Panel Session 3: Partnerships and policy

  • Moderator: Jane E. Rovins, Executive Director of Integrated Research on Disaster Risk
  • EU disaster risk management policyIan Clark, Head of Unit, Policy and Implementation Frameworks, Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
  • World Bank support for strengthening weather and climate service deliveryDaniel Kull, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recoverry (GFDRR)
  • FP7, Horizon 2020, Tristan Simonart, Policy Officer, Security Research and Development, Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission
  • Natural Hazards Partnership Virginia Murray, Health Protection Agency, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection
  • Public/Private partnershipNicole Keller, Global Earthquake Model (GEM)
  • Discussion

11:45-13:00 Round Table: Conclusions and way forward

  • Moderators: Stuart Wainwright, Cabinet Office, Assistant Director for Health, Environment, Energy and Transport and Paul Davies, Chair of the Natural Hazards Partnership, UK Met Office
  • Maarten Van Aalst, Director of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
  • Rosario Bento Pais, Head of Unit Adaptation, Directorate General for Climate Action, European Commission
  • Peter Billing, Deputy Head of Emergency Response Unit, Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, European Commission
  • Jane E. Rovins, Executive Director of Integrated Research on Disaster Risk

13:00-13:15 Closing remarks

  • Maria Betti, Director, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
  • Phil Evans, Director, Government Services, UK Met Office