Home > I. Policy & Management Framework > 4. Emergency management protocols > B.2 Early warning

Policy & Management Framework

4. Emergency management protocols – B.2 Early warning

For help contact:

CARE Emergency Group (CEG)
Head of Emergency Operations
Telephone: + 41 22 795 10 23 Email: emergencyoperations@careinternational.org 

Process leaders:
Country Office Emergency Monitor (Emergency Response Coordinator, or ACD in ERC's absence); Regional Emergency Coordinator (REC); CI Emergency Monitors; CI Security Monitor

Process involvement:
Country Director; CO Emergency Response Coordinator (ERC); Lead Member or CI Security Unit; Lead Member Emergency Director and Line Manager; CI Emergency Response Director; CI Operations Manager; Emergency Response Working Group

A. Purpose

This protocol describes the process of early warning monitoring, roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, and the links to preparedness planning, emergency alerts and response planning.

Back to top

B. Policy

Early warning is an essential part of CARE's humanitarian and development work. Anticipating where, when and what kind of humanitarian action may be required typically results in a more timely and effective response, as well as identifying opportunities to mitigate potential disasters from undermining long-term programming.

Early warning provides timely information about potentially critical situations, hazards and threats, and also ensures a common understanding among key decision-makers in CARE about a potential/upcoming crisis and the need for early action.

Early warning is a system of tracking key indicators to monitor trends that could lead to humanitarian crises, and communicating information to key stakeholders in a timely way. Effective early warning requires the involvement of COs, regions and headquarters, in addition to external information sources. Early warning monitoring should focus on, but not be exclusive to, triggers and indicators identified during country and regional preparedness planning.

Country Offices should lead early warning to the extent possible and should rapidly convey early warning information to other CARE offices as appropriate. CI Emergency Monitors are also responsible for keeping abreast of early warning information and passing it along appropriately.

Back to top

C. Instructions

1.         Procedure and accountabilities for early warning

Action

Responsible

Involved

Approval

Timing

Situation monitoring:

  • CO monitors-review external and local information sources, and trigger indicators identified through the EPP process.
  • REC-review information sources for presence and non-presence countries.
  • CI Emergency Monitors-review external and internal information sources.
  • Security Officer-review external and internal security information.

CO monitors; Regional Emergency Coordinator (REC); CI Emergency Monitors; Security monitor

Country Director; Lead Member Line Manager and Emergency Director; CI Operations Manager

n/a

Periodically; frequency will depend on context

Maintain hotspots scorecard:

Organise and score relevant data to rank countries by degree of potential or actual crisis. Input situation monitoring information into the scorecard to determine the level of crisis.

CARE USA Emergency Programme Officer

CO monitors; RECs; CI Emergency Monitors; Security monitor

n/a

Weekly

Early warning report:

Compile and distribute the ‘Hotspots' report and ‘@ a Glance'.

CARE USA Emergency Programme Officer

CO monitors; RECs; CI Emergency Monitors; Security monitor; Emergency Response Working Group (ERWG)

CI Security Director

Weekly

CARE's response information exchange:

  • If situation escalates from ‘watch' level to a ‘warning' or ‘emergency alert' level, CO provides emergency alert and/or information on CARE's assessment and response (see protocol B3 Emergency alerts).
  • After the onset of a crisis, information on CARE's response to a crisis is obtained from sitreps (refer to protocol C8 Emergency situation reports).

CO monitors and ERC; REC; CI Emergency Monitors

 

Country Director; Lead Member Line Manager and Emergency Director; CI Operations Manager; ERWG

CI Emergency Response Director

Within 24 hours of event or warning

Hotspots monitoring and follow-up:

All recipients of the ‘Hotspots' report must review and be aware of pending or current crisis. In addition:

  • COs-activate emergency preparedness planning, contingency planning and/or emergency alert.
  • Lead Member and REC-support CO in emergency preparedness, contingency planning or alert.
  • CEG-if a situation moves from a ‘warning' level to an ‘emergency alert' level, activate CI response process and circulate alert to ERWG.

CO monitors and ERC; REC; CI Emergency Monitors

 

Country Director, Lead Member Line Manager and Emergency Director; CI Operations Manager; ERWG

CI Emergency Response Director

Within 24 hours of event or warning

Back to top

Early warning flowchart

For a word-version of this image click here.

D. Endnotes

1. Initiation of information exchange and key steps leading to an emergency alert should be recorded for tracking purposes.

2. For CARE's guidelines on early warning activities, refer to the CARE Emergency Toolkit, chapters 11 Emergency preparedness planning, 12 Early warning, and 21 Information management.

3. Related protocols:

A2 Emergency typology
B1 Emergency preparedness planning
B3 Emergency alerts
B4 Pre-emergency readiness

Back to top

Last Updated: 17/07/2009

Next: Alerts

Previous: Emergency preparedness planning