Login / Signup Natural Hazards/Disasters RTD general information
Recent local and transnational disasters have demonstrated to the European Commission and the Member States of the European Union the paramount importance of efficient risk management. The prevention and response to such natural disasters request more and more to pool efforts and competencies from different thematic sectors and technical disciplines of the individual EU Member States towards a common action.
The Action focusses on the development of a better capacity for early warning, monitoring and damage assessment systems for weather-driven natural hazards, as well as for tools for assessing climate change effects, land use change effects, risk mapping and adaptation (prevention and reduction) to extreme events driven by the current climate and expected changes in climate. Modelling is given specific attention with respect to the occurrence of natural events such as floods and droughts, for example in support of the Flood Action Programme. The Action items are geared towards the provision of direct support to the Community civil protection mechanisms and to interventions by the Solidarity Fund. They are also linked to the development of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) services.
Models and systems developed within this Action are:
¤ LISFLOOD – a catchment hydrological modeling system
¤ EFAS – the European Flood Alert System
¤ MOLAND – a land use simulation model
¤ EDO – a European Drought Observatory
Specific objectives of the Action
• Pre-operational testing, finalization and transfer of the European Flood Alert System (EFAS).
• New development and testing of a European Drought Observatory (EDO).
• Development and testing of a Flood and Drought Watch System for Europe (including a flood rapid response service).
• Multi Natural Risk Mapping (floods, droughts and forest fires), including support to the Flood Directive.
• European urban and regional land use scenarios effects on weather- driven natural hazards.
• Assessment of climate change effects on weather-driven natural hazards in Europe.
• Enlargement and Integration.
• Exploratory Research.
The Action runs the European Flood Alert System in a pre-operational testing mode, providing twice daily (7/7) a pan-European flood early warning. These early warnings are communicated to a network of National Hydrological Services (NHS), responsible for further action.
The Action contributes to several FP6 research projects such as: PREVIEW, FloodSite, ADAM, GEOLAND, ORCHESTRA, SCENARIOS, PLUREL.
More information can be found on the Natural Hazards web-site.
Contact info
Ad de Roo
Tel: (+39) 0332 786240 E-mail: ad.de-roo(at)jrc.it
Main customers
- DG Environment
- DG Regional Policy
- DG Enterprise and Industry
- European Environmental Agency (EEA)
- Members States National and Regional Hydrological Services (EFAS MoU network)
- International River Basin Commissions (IKSO, IKSE, IKSD/ICPDR)
EU Legislation and Documents supported by this Actionj
- Proposal for a European Flood Directive (COM(2006)15 final of 18.1.2006)
- Community Mechanism for Civil Protection (COM 2004/277/EC)
- Water Framework Directive (COM 2000/60/EC)
- ICPDR Flood Action Plan (IC/082)
- IKSE Flood Action Plan
- Cohesion policy (Structural Funds 2007-2013)
- Communication on Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change (COM(2005) 35 final; of 9.2.2005)
- Communication on Limiting Global Climate Change to 2 degrees Celsius - The way ahead for 2020 and beyond (COM(2007) 2 final; of 10.1.2007)
- Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment. Communication From The Commission to The Council and the European Parliament{Sec(2006) 16 }
- European Regional Development Fund. Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006
Relevant links
MOLAND - Monitoring Land Use/Cover Dynamics
FAPAR - Fraction of Absorbed Photosyntetically Active Radiation
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
European Environment Agency (EEA)
European Climate Change Programme
A Natural-Hazards-Disasters list
This site allows to join or leave the NATURAL-HAZARDS-DISASTERS list.
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center - ADPC
ADPC is a regional resource center working towards disaster reduction for safer communities and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
BBC - Hot Topics - Natural Disasters
BBC site for Natural Disasters
Benfield Hazard Research Centre
The Centre's Disaster Studies and Management programme covers socio-economic vulnerability to disasters and disaster management (principally mitigation and preparedness).
Centre of Coordination for Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America
The Centre of Coordination for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America provides financial support for risk analysis on: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides in Central America. The Centre maintains a catalogue of Central American earthquakes from 1904 through 1987.
CORDIS IST Search
European Commission - Information Society Technologies
European research activities are structured around consecutive four-year programmes, or so-called Framework Programmes. The Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) sets out the priorities - including the Information Society Technologies (IST) priority - for the period 2002-2006. This site provides essential information for participating in the IST priority.
Degrees in Emergency Management, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Centre
The Hazard Reduction & Recovery Centre (HRRC) was established at Texas A&M University in 1988. The centre engages in research on hazard mitigation, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The staff of the HRRC is interdisciplinary in nature and includes the expertise of architects, engineers, geographers, psychologists, and sociologists. The HRRC is dedicated to providing access to hazards information for homeowners, professionals, business investors, and the academic community.
Disaster Planning and Development - Natural hazards
This report was produced by the Natural Hazards Project of the Department of Regional Development and Environment with support from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance/U.S. Agency for International Development. AID does not necessarily share all the views expressed, but welcomes this publication as a means of encouraging further discussion of natural hazard issues in development planning.
Earth Satellite Corporation - Homepage
Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) is an international professional services firm which specializes in the development and application of remote sensing and geographic information technologies (GIS).
Env management and mitigation of natural disasters
Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
United Nations
ESRI-FEMA Project Impact Hazard Site
FEMA and ESRI have formed a National Partnership in part aimed at providing multi-hazard maps and information to U.S. residents, business owners, schools, community groups, and local governments via the Internet. The information provided here is intended to assist in building disaster resistant communities across the country by sharing geographic knowledge about local hazards.
EUR-OPA Major Hazards
Council of Europe Major Hazards. This intergovernmental Agreement is a platform for co-operation in the field of major natural and technological disasters between Eastern Europe, the South of the Mediterranean and Western Europe concerning knowledge, prevention, risk management, post-crisis analysis and rehabilitation.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Main site
FEMA Disaster Map
Library of disasters
GEOHAZARDS archives
Archive of disasters
Geosuccess
Free download of products based on remote sensing data, which give timely information on the evolution of the vegetation cover and its related parameters. Some of these products are calculated in near real time, at the global or regional scale.
Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN)
GDIN is a voluntary, independent, self-sustaining, non-profit association of nations, organizations, and professionals, from all sectors of society including NGO's, Industry, Academia, Governments, and International Organizations with an interest in sharing disaster information. The aim of GDIN is to provide the right information, in the right format, to the right people, in time to make the right decisions.
Global Earth Observation System of Systems - GEOSS
The objective of the GEOSS project is to realize an international, comprehensive, coordinated and sustained Earth Observation System.
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security - GMES
GMES is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, designed to establish a European capacity for the provision and use of operational information for Global Monitoring of Environment and Security.
Hemispheric Congress Preliminary Program
This majority of this web site contains two documents produced by the Hemispheric Congress on Disaster Reduction and Sustainable Development: The Miami Declaration on Disaster Reduction and Sustainable Development and A Strategic Plan of Action.
IES Natural Hazard Projects
Joint Research Centre – Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Forest Fires and Floods.
Il sito dei geologi italiani
Geologi.it ospita le pagine ufficiali del C.N.G. con comunicazioni, circolari ed altre informazioni sull'attività svolta dal Consiglio.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is open to all Members of the UN and of WMO.
International Charter - Space and Major Disasters
The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through authorized users.
UNISPACE III conference (Vienna July 1999) - initiated by ESA and CNES
Ministère Français de l'écologie et du dévelopement durable - Prévention des risques majeurs
Ce site (en français) a pour but d'informer les citoyens et les professionnels sur la prévention des risques majeurs. Sélection de sites par thèmes, risques spécifiques, dossiers, événements, nombreux liens et sites favoris.
Natural Catastrophes and Developing Countries
The Natural Catastrophes and Developing Countries (CAT) Project of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) ran from September 1999 through June 2001 as part of a research partnership with the World Bank's Disaster Management Facility and the Swiss Reinsurance Company.
Natural Catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2002
Swiss Re Portal.
Natural Disaster Definitions
Definitions for Natural Hazard, Natural Disaster, Vulnerability …
Natural Disaster Management in China's Agenda 21
A China’s Natural Disaster Management System : Establishment of a National Integrated Assessment, Prevention, and Response Programme.
Natural Disasters- Prepare, Mitigate, Manage
This installment in the series includes 70 citations with abstracts and review articles drawn from CSA's Biological Sciences database collection, and 30 Selected Web Sites from our Natural Sciences database. The topic review is also hyperlinked to a table of Disaster Mitigation information collected from FEMA.
Natural Disaster Reference Database - Subject Categories
A NASA Natural Disaster Reference Database.
Natural Hazards Center Search Engine
Search the Natural Hazards Website
Natural Hazards in Canada
In the context of Natural Resources
National Weather Service - Natural Hazard Statistics
Disasters in the context of Weather. NWS publications
OFEG – Dangers Naturels
Office Fédéral des Eaux et de la Géologie (OFEG). Dangers Naturels.
Pacific Disaster Center - PDC
PDC provides applied information research and analysis support for the development of more effective policies, institutions, programs, and information products for the disaster management and humanitarian assistance communities of the Asia Pacific region and beyond.
PAHO-Natural Disasters
Pan American Health Organisation, Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance.
Quick Response Reports
Recent disaster studies sponsored by the Natural Hazards Centre.
Real-Time Emergency Management via Satelite - REMSAT
The objective of the REMSAT ESA project is to demonstrate the use of real-time satellite communications, localization, earth observation and meteorology services in emergency situations.
SPIDER Network
The SPIDER (Science and Policy Interfaces for Disaster Reduction) network aims at developing a body of work 're-evaluating the role of science in disaster management'.
Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction - success stories
Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction (SNDR) - Success stories in Natural Disaster Reduction.
The Disaster Finder
A disaster service provided by the NASA Solid Earth and Natural Hazards programme.
The Natural Hazards Working Paper Series
The Natural Hazards Centre, located at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA, is a national and international clearinghouse for information on natural hazards and human adjustments to hazards and disasters.
UNU-Environment and Sustainable Human Development
United Nations University site.
Weather and News links for individual countries
Videocams around the world
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