Local early warning systems: Predicting the future when things are so uncertain

There have been huge investments in ‘early warning’ facilities across East Africa, prompted by previous emergencies where livestock have perished and people’s lives have been threatened. Yet, despite all the talk of early warning, disaster risk reduction, shock-responsive systems, contingency planning and anticipatory action, the end results are mixed to say the least, writes Jameel Observatory PhD student, Tahira Shariff in her latest blog article on Pastres.