WMO urges for closing the gap between weather warnings and early action

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is calling for the need to peg the gap between weather warnings and early action to help prevent loss of lives and livelihoods as well as the destruction of property during extreme weather events.

According to the Project Officer, in the office of the WMO Representative Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Dr. Joshua Ngaina, a study conducted in March 2026 in Garissa County, the household endline assessment reported that 57 per cent of surveyed respondents lacked access to flood information.

“Across Garissa and Tana River counties, the datasets indicated that around 58 to 59 per cent of the respondents said they would know what to do following a drought warning but would be unable to carry out the actions.”

In his presentation at the WISER Kenya Phase 3 Kick-off Workshop held in Nairobi, Dr. Ngaina called for the need to, “improve access to warnings and address the practical barriers that prevent people from acting early.”

He urged for collaboration with the media to aid in effective interpretation and messaging of weather warnings in order to improve the use of weather information by communities that are mostly affected by extreme weather events.

Quoting WMO Secretary-General Professor Celeste Saulo statement: “We have clear evidence that early warnings save lives if they lead to early action.”

Dr. Ngaina emphasised the need for strong media partnership and collaboration together with community participation to ensure that that, “reliable information reaches communities in time, is understood and supports decisions that protect lives and livelihoods.”

He said that for Garissa and Tana River counties, advance information must translate into local risk assessments, clear advisories and practical preparedness, guided by national and county forecasts.

WMO will lead the Phase 3 consortium, working closely with IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority (KMSA) the Kenya Red Cross Society, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and the Water Resource Authority (WRA), “to build on existing investments and strengthen the connections between observations, forecasting, communication, institutional decisions and early action.”

He noted that, while this requires reliable meteorological and hydrological data, effective data sharing, tested forecast products and clear operational procedures; “Institutions need to agree who issues information, who communicates it, what triggers action and who is responsible for responding,” he said and added, “Producers, intermediaries, journalists and county actors also need practical skills and continued support to apply them.”

In order for weather warnings to be actionable, Dr. Ngaina urged for the need for Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) to guide the work, “We need to understand who is missing from existing services, listen to their needs and provide information in formats they can use,” he said and added, “Community participation should influence the design of services and the actions recommended.”

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will accompany implementation in order to address the need for evidence “that forecasts are reaching communities, influencing decisions and supporting preparedness.”

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