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Learning pathway

Early Warning and Preparedness for Floods and Drought

Good risk information saves lives. This pathway walks city and national teams through using disaster data for early warning, preparing for floods and drought, and understanding how drought drives people into cities.

Category: Disaster Risk Reduction | Climate Change Adaptation

4–5 hoursIntermediate4 steps

Your journey Start this pathway and work through its steps, then pass the quiz. Your progress is saved to your account, and you can download your record of completion when you complete the pathway.

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Your learning steps

What you'll learn

  • Explain how disaster loss data supports early warning and early action in African countries.
  • Describe the main steps of emergency preparedness for floods and drought.
  • Recognise how drought can drive urban growth and what that means for city planning.

Course content

4 steps • 4–5 hours total
Africa Road Map for Improving the Availability, Access and Use of Disaster Risk Information for Early Warning and Early Action, including in the Context of Transboundary Risk ManagementReport • UNDRR

Open resource: Africa Road Map for Improving the Availability, Access and Use of Disaster Risk Information for Early Warning and Early Action, including in the Context of Transboundary Risk Management

Why this step: Begin with the continental view: Africa's road map for better disaster risk information.

Application of disaster loss data in support of early warning and early action in African countriesOther publication • UNDRR

Open resource: Application of disaster loss data in support of early warning and early action in African countries

Why this step: See how disaster loss data is used for early warning and early action in African countries.

Effective emergency preparedness for flooding and drought: A guide for citiesFramework / Guideline • C40 Cities

Open resource: Effective emergency preparedness for flooding and drought: A guide for cities

Why this step: A practical guide to preparing a city for floods and drought before the emergency.

Dry Spells, Urban Swells : Analyzing the Drought-Induced Expansion of Cities in Sub-Saharan AfricaReport • World Bank

Open resource: Dry Spells, Urban Swells : Analyzing the Drought-Induced Expansion of Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Why this step: Finish with the bigger picture: how dry spells push people into Sub-Saharan cities.