Disaster risk reduction through early warning systems

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is critical to safeguarding the safety and well-being of communities in coastal regions and communities. An early warning system (EWS) is crucial for mitigating catastrophic risks associated with flooding because an effective EWS can allow communities to take the required steps to reduce the impacts of an impending hazard. It can therefore be implied that one of the reasons for the devastating effects of flooding in coastal communities, may be associated with the lack of EWS as witnessed in the October 2022 flooding in Nigeria. This paper advocates for more effective EWS and better technology integration into emergency operations in Nigeria's emergency services to minimise the impacts of flood risk amidst the cascading effects of climate emergency. A combination of primary and secondary research methodologies was employed to conduct the study. This paper used the constructivist philosophical perspective to explain the snowball sampling method utilised for the research. The method also involves distributing open-ended questionnaires to Nigerian individuals in flood-prone regions, to obtain accurate information on flood occurrences. The selection criteria required individuals to have resided in Nigeria for at least five years. The survey involved 45 participants aged 20-60, with a majority being corporate workers (69.2%). Drawing from secondary data on the October 2022 flooding in Nigeria, and collated primary data, the result displayed a lack of effective Early Warning System (EWS)and limited response capabilities especially in coastal towns and cities. The findings from this evaluative process indicate the need to drastically improve EWS and capabilities for response in coastal communities in Nigeria. This paper recommends incorporating disaster risk reduction (DRR) into development planning and policy to ensure the long-term viability of disaster risk reduction efforts. Beyond the policy implication of this paper, the impact on practice includes reviewing existing structural and non-structural measures to incorporate applicable and more effective EWS for coastal communities, and technology into regional emergency operations centres in the country.