Weather and climate services in Europe and Central Asia, a regional review
World Bank working paper no. 151
According to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), up to 35 percent of flood damage can be mitigated if flood warnings are made in advance; in the United States, as little as one hour of lead time can result in a ten percent reduction in flood damage (UNISDR 2004). Forecasting of severe weather enables emergency management teams to be put in place, mitigation measures to be prepared, and evacuation to be undertaken.However, public surveys undertaken within the scope of this study indicated that, in many cases, little lead time is supplied. In the countries surveyed, 25 to 50 percent of respondents found out about severe weather on the day it occurred, compared to six percent in the United Kingdom. Weather events are different from country to country, and to some extent, these statistics do not refer to similar events. Nevertheless, available data suggests a great disparity in the timeliness of severe weather warnings, a disparity that cannot be remedied without reinforcement of Europe and Central Asia’s weakening weather services.
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