Disaster Deaths 6.1x Lower With Early Warnings as El Nino Looms
(MENAFN) A growing El Nino is raising the odds of extreme weather just as a major UN assessment finds that protection against disasters remains uneven, with “significant gaps” persisting in the world’s most vulnerable nations.
The joint report, released Wednesday by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), shows 136 countries now operate multi-hazard early warning systems. The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2026 puts worldwide coverage at 70%, a 143% jump since countries began reporting in 2015.
The data points to a clear payoff. Nations with the most comprehensive systems recorded disaster-related deaths 6.1 times lower than those with weaker capabilities, and 3.2 times fewer people were affected by disasters.
The gains are not reaching everyone. Small island developing states reported the lowest coverage, while least developed countries posted the weakest overall comprehensiveness scores.
“Countries have made significant progress in strengthening their early warning systems, but too many people remain unprotected,” said UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore.
Celeste Saulo, the WMO’s secretary-general, issued a sharper warning about the climate pattern now building, saying the current El Nino “could be literally off our monitoring charts.”
“While we cannot stop El Niño, we can prevent many of its worst human consequences. Early warning systems give us the opportunity to anticipate risks and act before extreme weather leads to a humanitarian disaster,” she said.
The report also tracked a surge in preparedness planning: anticipatory action frameworks rose 70% in 2025, reaching 262 across 75 countries.
The joint report, released Wednesday by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), shows 136 countries now operate multi-hazard early warning systems. The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2026 puts worldwide coverage at 70%, a 143% jump since countries began reporting in 2015.
The data points to a clear payoff. Nations with the most comprehensive systems recorded disaster-related deaths 6.1 times lower than those with weaker capabilities, and 3.2 times fewer people were affected by disasters.
The gains are not reaching everyone. Small island developing states reported the lowest coverage, while least developed countries posted the weakest overall comprehensiveness scores.
“Countries have made significant progress in strengthening their early warning systems, but too many people remain unprotected,” said UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore.
Celeste Saulo, the WMO’s secretary-general, issued a sharper warning about the climate pattern now building, saying the current El Nino “could be literally off our monitoring charts.”
“While we cannot stop El Niño, we can prevent many of its worst human consequences. Early warning systems give us the opportunity to anticipate risks and act before extreme weather leads to a humanitarian disaster,” she said.
The report also tracked a surge in preparedness planning: anticipatory action frameworks rose 70% in 2025, reaching 262 across 75 countries.
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