Pacific Disaster Center hosts bilateral exchange on disaster risk reduction, climate resilience
Week-long engagement in Maui will emphasize flood and wildfire risk analysis and preparedness
University of Hawaiʻi
The University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) will host a bilateral exchange with a special delegation from the country of Ghana to share the latest innovations in disaster risk reduction and climate change analysis. The week-long engagement April 8–12 will focus on methodologies and technologies for assessing risks from multiple hazards to inform effective decision-making, with a special emphasis on floods and wildfires.
During the visit, Ghanaian delegates and members of PDC will visit with the County of Maui’s Fire Department to share experiences and understand the unique challenges facing Maui. The delegation will also receive a brief on the recent wildfire disaster that consumed the historic town of Lahaina—displacing more than 8,000 people and destroying over 2,000 structures.
Members of Ghana’s delegation will highlight their recent achievements in flood and wildfire response, discuss regional challenges they are facing with climate change and disaster management, and examine technological innovations the country is exploring to track populations during crises to more efficiently guide response efforts and humanitarian aid.
The team from PDC will provide Ghanaian delegates with a preview of its National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment conducted in partnership with PDC and Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organization. The assessment provides critical insights at both national and subnational scales including a comprehensive multi-hazard risk profile for each of Ghana’s administrative regions, anticipated climate hazard impacts, a disaster management capacity analysis, and a five-year plan of recommendations and actions aligned with the United Nations (U.N.) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
For more information about this event or the Pacific Disaster Center, contact PDC Communications Manager, Chani Goering at (808) 495-3865
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About the Pacific Disaster Center
Winner of the 2022 U.N. Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center is a global leader in the application of life-saving disaster management science, early warning technology, and advanced analytics. Our risk intelligence products provide decision-makers with the essential insights and information needed to act early to protect communities from hazards and to build more sustainable, resilient communities for a safer world.