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