Extreme weather events significantly affect the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations and reduce their capacity to respond to future emergencies. During the first months of 2023, countries such as Peru, Chile, and Ecuador have been affected by extreme precipitation. It is estimated that the probable extension of the duration of the El Niño event, between December 2023 and April 2024, could bring even worse consequences.

In anticipation of these possible critical scenarios, SDC’s partner organisations, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), Practical Action, and others are promoting the adoption of intervention approaches in the region, such as Early Action, and are currently supporting the governments of Peru and Ecuador in the development of preparedness and contingency plans for the 2023-2024 El Niño event.

In this framework, on June 20th to 22nd, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Rapid Response Programme (DRR and RR) of the Regional Hub Lima – SDC travelled to Ecuador to attend to meetings and working sessions with local public entities and technical bodies. On June 20th and 22nd, the Secretariat for Disaster Risk Management of Ecuador (Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos de Desastres de Ecuador, SNGRD), the SDC, and the Swiss Embassy in Ecuador held working meetings with the Directorate of International Strategies for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sub Secretariat for Information Management and Risk Analysis (Gestión de la Información y Análisis del Riesgo), and the Sub Secretariat for Preparedness and Adverse Events (Preparación y Eventos Adversos) in Guayaquil, as well as with the Sub Secretariat for Risk Reduction in Quito. The meetings were an opportunity to share the experience of the projects promoted by the SDC within the DRR and RR Programme framework, as well as to promote dialogue on future perspectives, and to gather relevant information on preparedness actions in the context of the El Niño event, with a regional vision.

The second day was an opportunity to attend to the National Early Action Workshop, organised by WFP in the city of Guayaquil. Nicole Clot, Regional Programme Coordinator for DRR and RR, and Silvia Passuni, Regional Programme Officer, presented SDC’s work experience in the region, especially the progress of the Early Action in the Andes (AA-Andes) project, which SDC is promoting in partnership with the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (ZFRA), in Peru and Bolivia. In addition, together with the Ecuadorian Red Cross and the WFP, an interesting discussion board took place, in which data on good practices was shared by different actors. Also, the importance of alliances with public sectors that manage relevant information for decision-making, local authorities, and communities was emphasised. Strategies to improve sustainability in early actions, a key aspect that is being evaluated, were discussed as well.

On 22 June, Practical Action (PA) and the International Federation of the Red Cross Climate Centre (CC), both strategic partners of the SDC, organised a workshop with the participation of the SNGRD, the Meteorological Service of Ecuador (Servicio Meteorológico de Ecuador, INAMHI), and the Ecuadorian Red Cross (Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana, CRE). During this workshop, INAMHI expressed the need to continue strengthening the hydro-meteorological monitoring network, as the results of the practical experiences implemented in Bolivia and Peru in the framework of the AA-Andes project are of great interest. “Understanding risks based on data analysis of this type [in real time and in simple visualisation environments] improves response and even prediction capacity, and allows models to be adjusted by having much more data within the network than just one point,” said Abel Cisneros, representative of PA, highlighting the importance of densifying the monitoring network through the use of low-cost weather stations with free software as a basis for early decision-making.

In closing, the attendees highlighted the need to promote and coordinate future interventions and actions for the benefit of the most vulnerable population.

Useful links:
FS (Span) Acción Anticipatoria en los Andes (Early Action in the Andes)

Related news:

• La Organización Meteorológica Mundial anuncia la prevalencia de unas condiciones que pueden indicar el inicio de un episodio de El Niño (The World Meteorological Organisation announces the prevalence of conditions that may indicate the onset of an El Niño episode) (OMM, Noticia – Span)
• WFP Ecuador: salvando y cambiando antes y durante las emergencias (WFP Ecuador: saving and changing before and during emergencies) (WFP, noticia – Span)