This blog post summarises a community conversation webinar event organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Committee of the Future Leaders Network on Early Warning Early Action on August 16, 2023. The webinar is now available online and covered several critical updates on developing an integrated database for meteorological hazards and their impacts in South America.
The discussion explored the usefulness of available impact data in various data repositories. It also identified gaps through case studies, highlighting the challenges in recording and cataloguing such events and their impacts. It also focused on impact-based forecasting, which involves using global disaster-impact data to inform and verify forecasts and trigger anticipatory actions to reduce human suffering and losses. The webinar briefly touched upon the strengths and limitations of DesInventar, an online tool and repository that provides an inventory of disaster impacts.
Experts shared examples of different initiatives and methodologies to create and improve databases on hazards and disasters in other regions, such as southern South America, East Africa, and Latin America. The webinar also included suggestions and reflections from the Future Leaders Network and experts on enhancing the quantity and quality of data on hazard impacts and how to use them for early warning and action.