National Risk Watch Onepager
08 September 2026
When a hazard is approaching, the critical question for disaster managers is not whether something will happen – it is what will happen, where, and to whom. Impact-based forecasting turns forecasts from descriptions of what the weather will be into assessments of what the weather will do.
The Netherlands Red Cross works with National Societies to deploy and use the National Risk Watch: a digital platform that brings together real-time hazard data and impact models in one place. When a trigger threshold is reached, the portal surfaces the information disaster managers need to activate pre-agreed early action protocols and get ahead of the crisis before it unfolds.
National Risk Watch is currently operational in nine countries, covering hazards including flash floods, river floods and drought. Support is provided across the full disaster management continuum, from preparedness and protocol development through to active monitoring during an event.
How we work together
Support is tailored to the National Society’s context, existing anticipatory action systems and hazard profile. It can include:
- Conducting an initial consultation to assess whether National Risk Watch is a good fit for the National Society’s anticipatory action setup
- Building or adapting hazard impact models for the specific country and hazard context, ranging from a few weeks for existing model types to several months for new ones
- Integrating the platform with existing Early Action Protocols (EAPs) so that trigger thresholds are directly actionable
- Training disaster management teams to use the portal effectively during operations
- Providing ongoing maintenance and remote support after handover
- Combining National Risk Watch support with research and development for forecasting hazard impacts and the creation of new EAPs
Local example
In Malawi, the Malawi Red Cross Society has used National Risk Watch to strengthen its anticipatory action capacity ahead of flash floods and drought.
“The National Risk Watch has provided opportunities to fill gaps in risk identification, monitoring and effectively managing hazards. By incorporating it, communities have a chance to timely prepare for disasters which reduces their impact.”
National Risk Watch is part of the IFRC GO ecosystem and connects anticipatory action with preparedness and operations. It draws on global disaster data from Montandon, the global crisis data bank, which strengthens impact analysis and builds shared learning over time. Co-developed by the IFRC and the Netherlands Red Cross, National Risk Watch supports Red Cross Red Crescent Movement-wide priorities such as Early Warnings for All and the scale-up of anticipatory action.
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