3. Emergency alerts

Checklist

  • Issue an emergency alert immediately after the emergency has occurred, or in anticipation of an emergency situation (typhoon, flooding, conflict etc.).
  • Ensure that the emergency alert follows the CARE Emergency Alert format.
  • Ensure the alert is approved by the Country Director.
  • Send the emergency alert to the Lead Member and CEG.

An emergency alert is issued as soon as the emergency has been verified, usually within the first hour of the CO learns of the emergency. An emergency alert should also be written in anticipation of the emergencies, such as a typhoon that is predicted to make landfall, or if heavy rains upstream in a catchment is expected to results in flooding downstream, looming food insecurity or political crisis.

The emergency alert notifies CARE International and activates the decision-making processes outlined in Protocol C6 Response Initiation. The issuing of an emergency alert is guided by Protocol B3 Emergency Alerts.

The format that must be used is available at Annex 42.2 Emergency Alert Format.

Make answers as specific as possible and cite your sources of information. Include as many details as possible about the location and severity of the emergency, the anticipated emergency type (refer to Protocol A2 Emergency Typology), any known statistics (i.e. people affected) and the response to date from government and UN and non-government agencies. CARE ‘s response (or potential response, and /or capacity to respond) and key emergency contacts should also be included.

Annex 42.3 Sample Emergency Alert

The Country Director (or delegated officer if the Country Director is absent) must approve the emergency alert prior to its release.

The emergency alert should be sent to the following people:

The CEG Emergency Information Coordinator will then forward the alert to other networks including ERWG and COMWG as appropriate.