Red alert: National Red Cross societies managing disaster risks in Europe

Divided in five chapters, this booklet showcases good practices, challenges and lessons learned on reducing and managing disaster risks across the region, including from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The examples cover the importance of understanding risks and taking action at local level, early warning mechanisms and capacities for anticipatory and early action, the combination of life-saving and awareness-raising actions to increase people’s resilience, continuous efforts to adapt, innovate and test capacities for changing hazards, and how to step up collaboration and partnerships to optimise operational reach, scale and impacts on preparedness and emergency response.

The booklet emphasis that collaboration between neighbouring countries and regions including the key actors must be done at larger scale. Better linking of scientific data, such as flood forecasts, between Member States and National Societies and with civil protection and disaster management practitioners and at-risk people is important. All actors must improve their multi-risk assessments and analyses, increase attention to prevention, disaster risk reduction and anticipatory action, and adopt more inclusive and comprehensive systems approach to managing risks to prevent and reduce human suffering and losses.