The Shanghai Multi-Hazard Early Warning System: Addressing the Challenge of Disaster Risk Reduction in an Urban Megalopolis

Abstract

On 27 June 2008, Mr Hu Jintao, President of China, declared that China needs to develop a sustainable Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) with a focus on multi-agency coordination and cooperation at all levels of government, to develop a regional joint response capability, and to build an optimum multi-hazard monitoring and emergency response warning process by actively involving multi-agency participation in the decision-making process. This process should also encourage active public participation in response to climate change. Responding to the President’s direction and with the support of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau (SMB) enhanced its efforts to establish a comprehensive weather disaster prevention management system under the leadership of the Shanghai Municipal Government (SMG).

The CMA and SMG jointly support the Shanghai Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) as a WMO demonstration project with ‘Multi-agency Response’ as the core. The project integrates diversified advanced technologies into a multi-hazard warning process, advancing improved multi-agency coordination and cooperation through a multi-link communication platform with responsible emergency response and rescue agencies. The MHEWS is organized around its “4+1” technical platforms and three-level standard system on multi-agency coordination and cooperation. The technical platforms are: Multi-Hazard Detection & Monitoring, Forecast & Warning Information Generation, Multi-agency Coordination and Cooperation Support, Dissemination and User Application Platforms, and the Multi-Hazard Information Database. The three-level standard systems comprise: a Multi-agency Coordination and Cooperation Standard System, Safety Community Standard System and Regional Joint Defence Standard System. The MHEWS provides technical support to the Shanghai Emergency Response Platform and has been introduced into the Emergency Response Headquarters of the Shanghai Municipal Government (SMG). It provides forecast and warning services to the SMG’s emergency response command centre, which is responsible for public emergency response actions and the delivery of emergency related information. The network will be fully operational to provide emergency response services to Shanghai Expo2010. Following Expo2010, WMO will conduct an assessment of the MHEWS.

Remarkable progress has been made. The dissemination platform has entered the testing stage; the forecast and warning information generation and multi-agency coordination and cooperation platforms are entering the development stages, with some modules already in operation. Warning subsystems for city traffic safety, heat wave and human health, power and energy security, and bacterial food poisoning are operational. There has been significant progress with grass roots level delivery of warning messages and with integration of information into the city grid management. Breakthroughs have been made in multi-agency coordination and cooperation. “The emergency response plan of Shanghai Municipality for rain, snow and freezing weather disasters”, and “The emergency response plan of Shanghai Municipality for heavy fog disasters” have been distributed by the general office of SMG.