Natural disasters threaten citizens around the world with disruption to essential services, damage to property and infrastructure, and the loss of life. The EU-funded ChEESE project uses supercomputing to help forecast accurate disaster scenarios. As a result, authorities in La Palma were able to make informed decisions and save lives when the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted.
Reacting efficiently to natural disasters calls for extensive training, effective technologies and well-oiled strategies. The EU-funded DRIVER+ project provides just the means to these ends, due to its unique test bed and portfolio of solutions. Trials in four European countries already show much promise and will help contribute to ensuring citizens' safety.
Understanding the roles land management and its uses play in the overall climate system is critical to mitigating the potential effects of climate change. EU-funded research is helping to enhance our knowledge of these interactions.
When disaster strikes, it is crucial to locate and rescue trapped victims as quickly as possible. EU-funded research is helping to optimise the use of new technologies by urban search-and-rescue teams to minimise loss of life.
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials are hazardous and represent an important potential risk to human beings. An EU-funded project is developing a 'field toolbox' for emergency services and medical personnel to aid victims of CBRN exposure.
An EU-funded project developed a potentially life-saving security system that boosts communication between the public and first responders in crisis situations such as terror attacks or natural disasters. It has since been adapted and is now being used by United Nations staff in the field.
EU-funded researchers are transferring modelling and analysis techniques used in other disciplines to climate science in a bid to improve predictions of climate events like El Niño. The research feeds into efforts to better understand complex weather patterns and their impact on the environment, economic activities and society.
When disaster strikes, seamless coordination among emergency services is essential. But how can services work together and effectively share potentially life-saving information across borders? Four EU-funded projects have developed techniques to enable emergency workers to work better together and coordinate their responses.
An online platform developed by EU-funded researchers is helping emergency services, public authorities and communities to better prepare for and cope with disasters, potentially saving lives and protecting key infrastructure.
