Early action database

Identifying appropriate early actions for a particular hazard and context is essential to successful anticipatory action. In the interest of facilitating exchange between organizations, regions, and actors, this early action database allows practitioners to see what anticipatory actions are being implemented or considered around the world.

Using the dropdown menus and search options below, you can pull up early actions according to country, organization, hazard, sector or intended purpose. The resulting list will provide you with basic information about the actions including lead times and links to additional resources, where available. This information can serve as the foundation for further research and discussion as to how to adapt these actions to new contexts.

Please note that, at the moment, the early action database only contains early actions from Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies, but the Anticipation Hub is working with other actors in anticipatory humanitarian action to catalog their programs and actions and include them in the database as soon as possible.

Growing this database and keeping it up to date is a community effort. If you or your organization identify an early action not in the database, please download and fill out the following form and send it to Arielle Tozier de la Poterie so that we can add them.

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Results

193
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Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Honduras

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Cyclone / Typhoon

  • Early Actions

    Cash (conditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    5 days

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    The Honduran Red Cross will provide multipurpose cash by way of prepaid cards for transportation of people and/or goods, purchase of basic products or provision for cases in which they have to move to another house, making it possible to mitigate possible damages and/or losses that may occur with the impact

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Costa Rica

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Volcanic ash

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    24 hours

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Madagascar

  • Organization

    Welthungerhilfe

  • Hazard

    Drought

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    3-6 months

  • Purpose

    Food security/nutrition

  • Detail of action

    Unconditional cash grant is distributed to the vulnerable households to help them meet their specific needs before the peak of the lean season. As soon as the drought model is triggered, a range of early actions are activated depending on the timing of the trigger and the threshold reached. Actions include early cash, in-kind assistance, and awareness raising activities. The first trigger is met at a rather low threshold resulting in cash distributions targeting only the most vulnerable to reduce the risks to the food security and prevent negative coping strategies (i.e. insufficient calorie intake through reduction of meals, intake of less preferred food, labor migration, increased school drop-out rate, overfishing, non-sustainable firewood production) and minimize the loss and damage to drought-affected households.

     

  • Multi hazard considerations

    During Covid-19 mobile cash transfers are preferred and safe distribution (social distancing, sanitacion and PPE) of mobile phones to enable access.

  • Additional resources

    View project page here. 

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Bangladesh

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods, Early Warning

  • Lead Time

    10 days and 5 days

  • Purpose

    Save lives, Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Distribution of unconditional cash grants of 4500 BDT (approximately USD 53). These grants are meant to help people evacuate or otherwise prepare for the floods, thereby reducing their losses. 

  • Multi hazard considerations

    During COVID-19, BDRCS disinfected cash points, provided beneficiaries with PPE and sanitization facilities, and doubled number of cash points to prevent crowding.

  • Additional resources

    View project page here.

    See post-activation report here. 

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Bangladesh

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Heatwave

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Possibility of paying rickshaw drivers or other larborers to rest during peak hours rather than having to work through the heat. This would help them to compensate for lost income. 

  • Additional resources

    View project page here.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    10-15 days

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Using 10-15 day forecast, provide 400 families who do not receive water filters with VISA cards.

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Uganda

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Distribution of cash & voucher assistance to facilitate evacuation and help affected families meet their basic needs 

  • Multi hazard considerations

    Switched cash distributions to electronic or mobile money. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Uganda Red Cross FbF project page here. 

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Ecuador

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Volcanic ash

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    Not fixed

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Cash is delivered by debit card if >10mm ash is projected to fall in an area. Cash is meant to allow households to meet their basic needs (food, animal transport etc).

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Ecuador Red Cross project page here.

    Read factsheet Ecuador here.

    Read 2019 activation report here.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Mongolia

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Dzud

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    3 months

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Unconditional cash grant is distributed to the herder households to help them meet their specific needs during the dzud. Herder households with limited resources and manpower struggle to prepare hay and even when they have prepared hay bales it is impossible to prepare enough to feed their livestock until the grass starts growing. With unconditional cash assistance, the herder households are available to meet their variety of needs such as hay, fodder, warm clothes, and medicine.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Intense rainfall, El Niño

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Most vulnerable (based upon selection criteria) receive cash grants of USD150 delivered through National Bank upon presentation of an ID card. Preparations start based on the 30 day forecast. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Ecuador

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    El Niño

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

  • Detail of action

    Based on the 7-day forecast cash grants of USD200 are delivered through IFRC VISA debit cards. Preparations for the distribution begin earlier. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Ecuador Red Cross project page here.

    Read factsheet Ecuador here.

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Drought

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce agricultural impacts

Title

Cash (unconditional)

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Drought

  • Early Actions

    Cash (unconditional)

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Meet basic needs

Title

Clear/dig drainage systems

  • Country

    Zambia

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Clear/dig drainage systems

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent loss of crops

  • Detail of action

    Mobilize communities to divert flood water from agricultural crops by digging trenches around fields

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here. 

    Visit the Zambia Red Cross FbF project page here. 

Title

Community water points

  • Country

    Honduras

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Cyclone / Typhoon

  • Early Actions

    Community water points

  • Sector

    WASH

  • Lead Time

    5 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce health impacts, Prevent or reduce waterborne diseases

  • Detail of action

    The Honduran Red Cross will purchase, preposition and distribute water through community-level storage tanks.

Title

Community water points

  • Country

    Guatemala

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Floods associated with tropical cyclones

  • Early Actions

    Community water points

  • Sector

    WASH

  • Lead Time

    3 to 5 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce waterborne diseases, Meet basic needs

Title

Community water points

  • Country

    Zambia

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Community water points

  • Sector

    Health, WASH

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce waterborne diseases

  • Detail of action

    Identify potential water sources at evacuation sites

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here. 

    Visit the Zambia Red Cross FbF project page here. 

Title

Community water points

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Intense rainfall, El Niño

  • Early Actions

    Community water points

  • Sector

    Health, WASH

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce waterborne diseases

  • Detail of action

    Based on the 7-day forecast, communities will be selected to receive water points. Community water points will be installed to reduce waterborne diseases. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Conduct assessments

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Intense rainfall, El Niño

  • Early Actions

    Conduct assessments

  • Sector

    Logistics

  • Lead Time

    3 months

  • Purpose

    Facilitate access to additional, timely funding

  • Detail of action

    At the early stages of the El Niño, create communication and collaboration lines to collect data necessary to seek additional funding and support and expand the reach of early actions. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Cool residences

  • Country

    Vietnam

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Heatwave

  • Early Actions

    Cool residences

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    6 days

  • Purpose

    Prevent or reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    The team explored retrofitting housing in slums and assistance for procuring cooling systemsin order to help people cool down while they sleep. This action was ultimately not included in the EAP. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here. 

    Visit the Viet Nam Red Cross FbF project page here. 

Do you have a question?

Arielle Tozier de la Poterie

Global advisor Early Action and Research

German Red Cross

Raise your Question