There’s a variety of causes and reasons for the appearance and development of crises and disasters which put at risk the lives, health, education, economy, etc. of hundreds of thousands of people annually in our region. Some of them are classified as natural disasters, whereas many of them are human-made. The impact of both is disastrous for individuals, local communities, national or even regional communities in the Western Balkans. The main aim of this component is to set up an institution for early detection and early warning of possible crises and disasters, which would serve as the basis for in-time interventions either to avoid them, or to efficiently address all the consequences of them. It is of paramount importance that the institution be able to define the risk indicators for each and every kind of hazard, so that the appropriate measures and approaches could be taken either to avoid completely, or partially, or to duly face and treat all the consequences.
For the purpose of research and study, we can characterize crises as mainly human-made, due to irresponsible policies followed by local or central administrations which directly affect the living conditions of certain communities and populations, sometimes with no border limits, and Natural disasters, which can happen again because of wrong policies of administrations, but mostly as a result of natural phenomena outside the human control. Some of them are quite unpredictable, but others can be predicted and necessary measures have to be taken. Such can be:
- Earthquakes
- Storms
- Floods
- Land-slides
- Heat-waves/draughts
- Wild-fires
- Water pollution
- Air pollution
- Extreme weather events (due to climate change)
- Hate language
- Hate crime
- Religious radicalization
- Local conflicts
- Regional conflicts (landmines being always a serious long-term threat)
- Uncontrolled migration
- Refugee crises
- Industrial disasters
- Structural disasters
- Stockpiles of old ammunition disasters
- Societal disasters (drunk driving, drugs trafficking, bulling, etc.)
Capacities
- Disaster risk assessment and hazard mapping systems
- National and regional early warning mechanisms
- Emergency logistics and rapid deployment units
- Public safety training and drills for local communities
- Environmental and structural monitoring technologies
- Technical and scientific research support institutions
Action Lines
- Establish a national disaster resilience and response agency
- Implement early warning and multi-risk detection platforms
- Promote cross-border disaster coordination mechanisms
- Provide training for municipal emergency responders
- Support community preparedness and education initiatives
- Create emergency response funding and rapid aid protocols
