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

137
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Title

Health-protection kits

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Cold Wave

  • Early Actions

    Health-protection kits

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    5 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Kits contain materials to protect alpaca herders from the cold and to prevent respiratory infections and other ailments, including a waterproof poncho, sunglasses, heavy-duty gloves and other items that allow the herder to care for alpacas in the extreme snow (this is only distributed if snow is forecast, not cold alone). 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Health-protection kits

  • Country

    Ecuador

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Volcanic ash

  • Early Actions

    Health-protection kits

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    Not available

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Distribution of kits to protect against impact of ash (happens for all projected ash levels): N95 Masks, safety glasses, and saline solution, a jute bag and informational materials.

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Ecuador Red Cross project page here.

    Read factsheet Ecuador here.

    Read 2019 activation report here.

Title

Heating centers

  • Country

    Kyrgyzstan

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Cold Wave

  • Early Actions

    Heating centers

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    Not available

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Mount outdoor heating shelters and warm beverages at strategic points in large cities to provide refuge for homeless people or outdoor workers.

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan FbF project page here.

Title

Hygiene kits

  • Country

    Peru

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Intense rainfall

  • Early Actions

    Hygiene kits

  • Sector

    Health, WASH

  • Lead Time

    10 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Hygiene kits are provided along with water purification when shorter-term forecasts indicate El Niño-related, long-term heavy rains and associated flooding. 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the Peru Red Cross FbF project page here.

Title

Hygiene kits

  • Country

    Kyrgyzstan

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Heatwave

  • Early Actions

    Hygiene kits

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Distribution of hygiene products to reduce rates of infection during the heat.

  • Multi hazard considerations

    During COVID-19 volunteers were required to wear masks, gloves and where possible, face shields; Physical distancing was enforced for volunteers and beneficiaries; Face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to be added to hygiene kits; Hand sanitizer was available at all distribution points; Distributions were conducted in shaded open air locations whenever possible and water bottles were provided to prevent people from overheating; Increased quantity of hand sanitizer was distributed to beneficiaries

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan FbF project page here.

Title

Hygiene kits

  • Country

    Ecuador

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    El Niño

  • Early Actions

    Hygiene kits

  • Sector

    Health, WASH

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Hygiene kits are provided along with water purification when shorter-term forecasts indicate El Niño-related, long-term heavy rains and associated flooding.

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Ecuador Red Cross project page here.

    Read factsheet Ecuador here.

Title

Hygiene kits

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Drought

  • Early Actions

    Hygiene kits

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

Title

Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Country

    Nepal

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Sector

    Protection, Camp Coordination & Management

  • Lead Time

    7 days and 24 hours

  • Purpose

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Detail of action

    TBD

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here.

    Visit the project page here.

Title

Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Volcanic ash

  • Early Actions

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts, Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Detail of action

    Prepare evacuation centres ensuring hygiene conditions, electricity, social distancing (if necessary), prepositioning food and water, protection, child-safe spaces, provide first aid and psychosocial support etc. 

Title

Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Sector

    Shelter/Infrastructure, Camp Coordination & Management

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Detail of action

    Preparing evacuation shelters, including guarantee minimum conditions for evacuation centres (water, electricity, latrines, food…etc.)

Title

Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    GBV AoR

  • Hazard

    Cross-cutting

  • Early Actions

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Sector

    Protection, Camp Coordination & Management

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce gender-based violence

  • Detail of action

    Coordinate the establishment of temporary women and girl’s safe spaces in evacuation centres or temporary camps prior to evacuation to ensure that women and children have safe places to evacuate to.  

Title

Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Country

    Bangladesh

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Cyclone / Typhoon

  • Early Actions

    Improve conditions at evacuation sites

  • Sector

    Protection, Camp Coordination & Management

  • Lead Time

    30 hours

  • Purpose

    Security

  • Detail of action

    Provision of artifical light at cyclone shelters is meant to encourage people to evacuate and ensure they are safe at the shelters

  • Additional resources

    View project page here.

Title

Latrines

  • Country

    Zambia

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Latrines

  • Sector

    Health, WASH

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce waterborne diseases

  • Detail of action

    Reinforce/construct temporary latrines using local materials

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here. 

    Visit the Zambia Red Cross FbF project page here. 

Title

Life jackets

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Life jackets

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Save lives, Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Provide life jackets to people who are evacuating by boat.

Title

Livelihood-protection kits

  • Country

    Ecuador

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Volcanic ash

  • Early Actions

    Livelihood-protection kits

  • Sector

    Food Security & Livelihoods

  • Lead Time

    Not available

  • Purpose

    Reduce loss of income/livelihood/livestock

  • Detail of action

    Kits contain materials to allow families to build shelter for animals, harvested crops, and animal forage: one plastic tarp, tools, and information on how to build the shelter (provided if > 5mm of ash is projected). 

  • Additional resources

    Visit the Ecuador Red Cross project page here.

    Read factsheet Ecuador here.

    Read 2019 activation report here.

Title

Mobile health units

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Drought

  • Early Actions

    Mobile health units

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

Title

Mobile health units

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Mobile health units

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Organizations can create health units that will be able to travel and assist the population before and after the event.

Title

Mobile health units

  • Country

    Global guidance

  • Organization

    GBV AoR

  • Hazard

    Cross-cutting

  • Early Actions

    Mobile health units

  • Sector

    Health, Protection

  • Lead Time

    TBD

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts, Reduce gender-based violence

  • Detail of action

    Deployment of roving GBV counselling teams prior to the event to ensure women have access to necessary health services and support before and during an event. 

Title

Mobile health units

  • Country

    Togo

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Mobile health units

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    Not available

  • Purpose

    Reduce health impacts

  • Detail of action

    Create mobile units that can treat people and render first aid at shelters or other areas they are displaced. 

Title

Mosquito nets (insecticide-treated)

  • Country

    Zambia

  • Organization

    Red Cross Red Crescent

  • Hazard

    Flood

  • Early Actions

    Mosquito nets (insecticide-treated)

  • Sector

    Health

  • Lead Time

    7 days

  • Purpose

    Reduce vector borne diseases

  • Detail of action

    Distribute treated nets and provide information on how to use them effectively to reduce disease

  • Additional resources

    Visit the country page here. 

    Visit the Zambia 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