CIFDP National Sub-Projects Implementation

Summary

Project Website: http://www.jcomm.info/CIFDP

Summary

A side meeting was held during the EC-65 session, from 1330-1430 on Friday, May 17 in Room C2 of the WMO Headquarters. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Val Swail, Co-chair of the CIFDP Project Steering Group. Dr. Bruce Stewart, Director of WMO Climate and Water Department, introduced the organizational background for CIFDP, as a joint initiative of the WMO Commission for Hydrology (CHy) and the WMO-IOC Joint Technical Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM). Dr. Stewart noted the priority assigned to this activity by WMO at EC-LX in 2008, and emphasized its importance in terms of disaster risk reduction in low lying countries, particularly those exposed to tropical cyclones, providing an objective basis for coastal disaster (flooding) management. Dr. Stewart noted that there were currently three (3) active National Sub-Projects and two (2) Sub-Projects in development. Status reports were presented for these as described below; a South Africa Sub-Project is presently under consideration. Mr. Swail then gave a brief overview of the framework of the CIFDP. He first noted that 18 of the top 20, and the top 6, events with the largest loss of life due to coastal inundation were from storm surges, with the other 2 from tsunamis. This is not to downplay the importance of tsunami warning systems, but rather to raise the profile on the importance of storm surge events. Mr. Swail further noted that disaster occurs when hazards overlap with exposure and vulnerability; the focus of the CIFDP project is on reducing the vulnerability by improving early warning systems. Mr. Swail showed that forecasting and warning systems are an integral part of end-to-end coastal inundation management, and have mutual benefits with coastal zone management activities. The focus of CIFDP is building improved operational forecasts and warnings capability for coastal inundation that can be sustained by the responsible national agencies. CIFDP is implemented through National Sub-Projects, based on users’ perspectives and requirements, operated and maintained by national operational agencies with the responsibility for coastal inundation warnings, with qualified staff available on a 24/7 basis, and a commitment to sharing all relevant data. National commitment is key, with a Definitive National Agreement (DNA) among responsible agencies, through the National Coordination Team. The technical foundation is based on applying available techniques for integrated operational forecasting and warning. The CIFDP will be implemented in a phased approach, with PSG review at the end of each phase to ensure that sub-projects are proceeding in an acceptable manner. After the Initial National Agreement, a stakeholders’ workshop, with both technical agencies and end users, is the key starting point in Phase 1, culminating in the DNA, the National Coordination Team, a National Capacity Assessment and a preliminary system design. Phase 2 moves to system implementation and testing, then to Phases 3 and 4, multi-agency exercise and training and finally going live. Linkages with other related programs and projects are vital, including the WMO Storm Surge Watch Scheme and Severe Weather Forecast Demonstration Project, ESA’s eSurge project, among many others, and other WMO groups including the Working Group on Societal and Economic Research Applications (SERA) and the JCOMM Expert Team on Waves and Coastal Hazard Forecasting Systems (ETWCH). Dr. Boram Lee of the WMO Secretariat made a presentation on behalf of the National Coordination Team for the Bangladesh Sub-Project (CIFDP-B). She noted that Bangladesh was the first project undertaken, and it had recently completed Phase 1, with approval from the Project Steering Group to proceed to Phase 2. A System Design meeting is planned for 28-30 May 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh to confirm the model selection and initiate the forecast system development. External funding for Phases 2 to 4 has been arranged by the Secretariat from USAID. Mr. Edgard Cabrera of the WMO Secretariat made a presentation on behalf of the National Coordination Team for the Dominican Republic Sub-Project (CIFDP-DR). He noted that a Stakeholders workshop was held in Santo Domingo in November 2011, and that Phase 1 activities were presently being completed, according to the review by the PSG. Funding arrangements necessary for progressing to Phase 2 System Design are being explored. Mr Alipate Waqaicelua, Director of Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS), made a presentation on the status of the Fiji Sub-Project (CIFDP-F). A stakeholders’ workshop was held in Nadi, Fiji 18-21 February 2013. The National Coordination Team was established with Terms of Reference, and the Definitive National Agreement was drafted for Cabinet approval. The National Capacity Assessment is presently being drafted, with the user requirements document. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by October 2013. External funding for Phase 2 to 4 is presently being explored. Dr. Zheging Fang of Shanghai Meteorological Bureau (SMB) made a presentation on the Shanghai sub-project. Shanghai already has a well-developed sub-project as part of the Multi Hazard Early Warning System for the city. The next steps are to engage the expertise of the CIFDP PSG and external experts to integrate the principles of CIFDP into their project. A stakeholders’ workshop is tentatively planned for the summer 2013. Dr. Edvin Aldrian of Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) made a presentation on the development of the Indonesia sub-project. This is in Phase 0, engagement of the national stakeholders. The scope was identified as the cities of Jakarta and Semarang. The existing Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) will be adopted as the reference for coastal inundation forecasting in CIFDP-I. A stakeholders’ workshop is tentatively planned for November 2013, to launch Phase 1 implementation. Due to time constraints of the EC-65 Plenary session, there was no time for discussion during the side meeting. However, participants at the side meeting were encouraged to look at the project web site (http://www.jcomm.info/CIFDP) for further details on CIFDP and the sub-projects, and in particular the Implementation Plan (JCOMM TR-64). Participants were further encouraged to discuss items of interest with the sub-project members and the WMO Secretariat during the remainder of the EC-65 session, or afterwards via e-mail with the Secretariat or the PSG Co-Chairs. Countries that wish to implement a national CIFDP National Sub-Project are invited to contact the WMO Secretariat.

Website: http://www.jcomm.info/EC65_CIFDP