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Led by Samoa’s Disaster Management Office (DMO) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), with support from the U.S. Embassy in Apia, the NDPBA initial workshop and knowledge exchange drew wide participation from across sectors.

Photograph: PDC

APIA, Samoa — For island communities across the Pacific, disaster risk is defined by multiple hazards, with many taking place concurrently. Vulnerability is often exacerbated by the remote location of these communities where relief can take days to arrive. Drought, for instance, can put extraordinary strain on freshwater supplies and agriculture as well as increase fire risk. Tropical cyclones bring destructive winds, storm surge and flooding which often damage critical infrastructure and lifelines. Earthquakes can generate tsunamis with little warning, while coastal flooding and erosion add to the long-term pressures facing communities, infrastructure and livelihoods.

Against this backdrop, the University of Hawai‘i’s Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Government of Samoa are partnering to strengthen disaster risk knowledge and preparedness through a National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA).

The partnership brings together two Pacific island communities with distinct but closely related experiences managing complex, interconnected hazards. It also creates an opportunity to share lessons across the Pacific on how risk information can be translated into better planning, stronger preparedness and faster, more informed action when disasters occur.

In 2009, Samoa was severely impacted by a tsunami that was triggered by two massive earthquakes that hit almost simultaneously about 120 miles off the coast of the islands. Several communities are still feeling the impacts of this catastrophe that claimed the lives of more than 140 people in Samoa and destroyed houses and infrastructure across the island, with estimated $200 million in losses.

Photo by NOAA NCEI

A disaster-prone landscape and changing environmental conditions

Samoa is exposed to a broad range of hazards, including tropical cyclones, tsunamis, flash flooding, drought, landslides, earthquakes, public health threats, coastal erosion, and more. Approximately 70 percent of Samoa’s population lives along the coast, increasing the importance of understanding how multiple hazards can affect communities and critical infrastructure.

Those risks are being felt against a backdrop of changing environmental conditions. Samoa is currently experiencing El Niño-related dry conditions, placing additional pressure on water supplies, agriculture and communities as the country approaches another cyclone season. The combination illustrates why disaster preparedness increasingly requires an understanding of hazards as interconnected risks rather than isolated events.

Samoa has experienced the consequences of major disasters firsthand. The 2009 South Pacific tsunami caused widespread loss of life and displacement, while Tropical Cyclone Evan in 2012 caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

At the same time, Samoa has made significant investments in reducing disaster risk, including its Multi-Hazard Early Warnings for All Roadmap 2026–2036, released in June 2026. The roadmap identifies strengthening risk knowledge and institutional coordination among the country's priorities for improving early warning and disaster preparedness.

Samoa is also leading on community-level tsunami preparedness. In May, with support from the United States, the country launched the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC) Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme, with 37 villages participating in efforts to strengthen tsunami risk knowledge, warning systems, evacuation planning, public awareness and community action.

On September 29, the 17th anniversary of the 2009 tsunami, 17 communities in the Aleipata and Lepa districts—among the areas hardest hit in 2009—were recognized as Tsunami Ready.

 

Low-lying coastal communities of Samoa were hit particularly hard by Cyclone Evan in 2012. Evan leveled homes and destroyed infrastructure across Apia, the capital city of Samoa.

Photo by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa

Extreme flooding in Samoa during Hurricane Evan, 2012.

Photo by BBC News

"The National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment provides an opportunity to bring together national data, technical assessments, institutional knowledge, and stakeholder perspectives to develop a clearer picture of our country's disaster risk and preparedness. "

The value of a baseline risk assessment to Samoa

Samoa’s latest initiative to conduct a baseline assessment in partnership with PDC is led by Samoa’s Disaster Management Office (DMO) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) with support from the U.S. Embassy in Apia. It launched on October 14, 2026 with experts from Samoa’s meteorology, health, water, agriculture, emergency services, and other sectors who came together to participate in a kick-off workshop and knowledge exchange. The event was opened by Acting Chief Executive Officer Afioga Su‘emalo Talie Foliga and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Samoa Matthew Younger.

Making risk knowledge actionable

“The National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment provides an opportunity to bring together national data, technical assessments, institutional knowledge, and stakeholder perspectives to develop a clearer picture of our country's disaster risk and preparedness,” said Afioga Su‘emalo Talie Foliga, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s MNRE. “I would like to acknowledge and thank the United States through its embassy here in Samoa, as well as the team from the Pacific Disaster Center for their immense support and continued partnership.”

Afioga Su‘emalo Talie Foliga shared how Samoa continues to face threats from a wide range of hazards, including tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, quakes, tsunamis, public health emergencies, and the increasing impacts of climate change.

"These challenges remind us that effective disaster preparedness is not the responsibility of one agency alone, but rather a collective effort that requires strong partnerships, coordinated actions, and inclusive participation across all sectors of society,” said Afioga Su‘emalo Talie Foliga.

Afioga Su‘Emalo Talie Foliga, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, launches the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Samoa Matthew Younger emphasizes the importance of unwavering partnership and highlights the new ground broken in supporting evidence-based decision making across Samoa.

"Today is a monumental step forward in our journey together. We are breaking new ground with this assessment. Resilience is not built overnight, nor is it built by the government alone. It requires data, technology, community-level awareness, and above all, unwavering partnership, which we are here to offer today and to celebrate by launching the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment."

Photographs by PDC

PDC Senior Operations Advisor Steve Recca.

Photograph by PDC

"We will learn from each other, and the expertise in this room is a testament to our mutual commitment to be better prepared for whatever hazard we might face."

The NDPBA is designed to help countries do more than document hazards. PDC works with national and local stakeholders to assess risk, vulnerability and disaster management capacity, identify opportunities to strengthen preparedness, and establish a foundation for evidence-based decision-making.

“The National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment will help assess disaster risks and identify and prioritize actions to reduce the most pressing of these,” said PDC Senior Operations Advisor Steve Recca.

“We will learn from each other, and the expertise in this room is a testament to our mutual commitment to be better prepared for whatever hazard we might face. While today’s workshop formally launches the project, PDC has been working with the DMO to understand Samoa’s hazards and their impacts. We mark the beginning of the project, but the relationship between DMO and PDC will continue to grow and evolve as we work together towards our shared goal of a safer and more resilient Samoa.”

“As a result of DMRS , it takes only two AHA Centre staff to cover all of the disaster monitoring and analysis responsibilities of the ASEAN region. We are pleased to see this same capability being brought to Lao through this project,” said the AHA Centre during the NDPBA kick-off workshop. The AHA Centre’s DMRS is one of several versions of customized solutions offered by PDC through its DisasterAWARE ecosystem.

Support from other stakeholders was expressed during the workshop as well.

For Samoa, the assessment will complement the country's ongoing investments in early warning, emergency management, and community preparedness by bringing together information on hazards, exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity, and disaster management capabilities.

The work will also connect Samoa's risk assessment findings with PDC's advanced technology, DisasterAWARE.

DisasterAWARE is the Center’s multi-hazard early warning and risk intelligence platform, providing near-real-time information across 28 natural, man-made and biological hazard types. For NDPBA partners, the platform provides a way to operationalize assessment findings—allowing risk data and analysis results to be accessed alongside emerging hazard information to support planning, preparedness, response, and mitigation.

In practical terms, this means the risk assessment data and findings can be put to work immediately. Information developed through the NDPBA can become part of the tools decision-makers use before and during an emergency: identifying vulnerable communities, understanding potential impacts, prioritizing resources and building a common operating picture as conditions change.

Over the next year, the program will produce district-level risk profiles, an analysis of Samoa’s disaster management capabilities, and a five-year plan of action.

 

A partnership grounded in Pacific experience

The partnership also reflects the close connections between Hawai‘i and Samoa as Pacific island communities.

Both face the challenges of managing critical infrastructure and essential services across geographically dispersed communities. Both are exposed to multiple natural hazards, and both understand the importance of neighbors, communities and local institutions as the first line of response when transportation, communications, or other lifelines are disrupted.

For Hawai‘i, the experience of recent disasters—including recent impacts from two Kona low-pressure storms, three tropical cyclone events, and the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires for which recovery is still underway—has underscored how drought, extreme weather, fire, and other hazards can intersect and compound one another.

For Samoa, the current combination of El Niño-related dryness, water-supply pressures, agricultural impacts, and the approaching cyclone season offers another reminder that resilience depends on preparing for complex conditions rather than a single scenario.

Building resilience beyond one assessment

The Samoa NDPBA is intended not only to strengthen national disaster preparedness, but also to contribute to a broader Pacific exchange of knowledge and experience.

Samoa's leadership on tsunami preparedness and its commitment to a national multi-hazard early warning system provide a strong foundation for the partnership. In turn, PDC brings decades of experience in disaster risk assessment, multi-hazard early warning, advanced analytics, and decision-support technology.

Together, the partners can help bridge a critical gap between knowing where risk exists and acting on that knowledge.

As hazards become increasingly interconnected and weather patterns more variable, that connection will become even more important. Risk information must be current, accessible and actionable—not only for long-term planning, but for the decisions communities and emergency managers make when a disaster is unfolding.

“The partnership between Samoa and PDC represents one contribution to that larger Pacific goal: strengthening the ability of island communities to understand risk, prepare before disaster strikes, act decisively when hazards emerge and recover stronger afterward,” said Steve Recca of PDC.

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Participants validate risks and vulnerabilities across Lao PDR as part of the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) and Disaster Resilience Workshop. Photograph: PDC

VANG VIENG, Lao PDR – Building resilience requires more than plans, policies, and technology. It requires people and institutions working together around a shared understanding of risk and commitment to action.

That spirit of collaboration was on display in Vang Vieng from August 18-20, where the Lao PDR Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW), in partnership with the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), convened government agencies, provincial authorities, humanitarian organizations, and international partners for an intensive, three-day Disaster Resilience Workshop.

Funded by CFE-DM and coordinated with the U.S. Embassy Vientiane, the event brought together representatives from Lao PDR government institutions at national, provincial and district levels, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Lao Statistics Bureau, the Lao People's Armed Forces, alongside the Lao Red Cross, United Nations agencies, and the U.S. Department of State. Participants representing different organizations and perspectives, shared a common goal: strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience across Lao PDR.

"Through this event, we are creating a shared experience together to enhance disaster risk reduction in Lao PDR and to develop the data and information needed to build resilience."

"Lao PDR has experienced many challenges. Through this event, we are creating a shared experience together to enhance disaster risk reduction in Lao PDR and to develop the data and information needed to build resilience," said Mr. Mixay Sengchanthavong, Deputy Director General of the Social Welfare Department, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

Stakeholders across Lao government sectors identify key hazard zones and help estimate population exposure during the NDPBA mid-term workshop and assessment review.

Photograph by PDC

Leveraging science and local knowledge

A key focus of the workshop was ensuring that disaster risk reduction efforts in Lao PDR are informed by both science and local knowledge. Stakeholders provided input to support the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment, reviewed hazard information, identified additional data sources, and shared operational experiences from across the country. The discussions helped connect national priorities with the realities faced by communities and responders on the ground.

"The challenges we face today are increasingly interconnected. As a result, resilience depends on our ability to develop a shared understanding of risk and a shared commitment to action. This is why this event is so important," said Victoria Leat, Asia Pacific Advisor and National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment Country Lead.
As disaster risks become increasingly complex and interwoven, effective resilience-building depends on strong partnerships that extend across sectors and levels of government. Throughout the workshop, participants exchanged experiences, examined disaster management challenges, and explored opportunities to strengthen coordination and preparedness efforts nationwide.

Participants also highlighted the importance of building on existing partnerships and lessons learned.

Flash flooding is just one of many hazards that present a significant threat to populations in Laos.

Photograph by PDC

"We must build on previous efforts and partnerships to help shape disaster risk reduction moving forward."

"We must build on previous efforts and partnerships to help shape disaster risk reduction moving forward," said Lloyd Puckett of CFE-DM.

Workshop participants exercise disaster management decision-making using DMRS, a custom version of PDC's DisasterAWARE technology developed for the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) and used operationally to support the entire ASEAN region.

Photograph by PDC

Integrating exercises and technology to improve coordination

Going deeper than discussion and knowledge exchange, the workshop included scenario-based exercises in which participants worked together to examine how institutions communicate, coordinate, and make decisions during disasters. For many attendees, the tabletop exercise provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships, test assumptions, and better understand the roles and capabilities of partner organizations before a real emergency occurs.

Technology and risk information were also identified as important enablers of resilience. Following demonstrations of disaster management tools and capabilities, participants discussed how improved access to data can support preparedness planning and more informed decision-making.

"Addressing today's challenges requires versatile and dynamic tools."

"Addressing today's challenges requires versatile and dynamic tools," said U.S. Embassy Mission Disaster Relief Officer John Drollette, emphasizing the value of the capabilities provided through the partnership with PDC partnership. Additionally, participants emphasized that technology is most effective when combined with strong institutions, trusted partnerships, and a shared commitment to protecting communities.

The workshop demonstrated MoLSW's leadership in bringing together stakeholders from across government, humanitarian, and development sectors to advance a common vision for disaster resilience in Lao PDR. By creating a platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and joint problem-solving, the ministry reinforced the importance of collective action in addressing the country's evolving disaster risks.

As Lao PDR continues advancing the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment, the relationships strengthened and insights generated during the workshop will help support evidence-based planning, stronger disaster management capabilities, and a more resilient future for communities across the country.

 

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Militaries from across the Pacific join international organizations and interagency partners to engage in a three-phase HADR exercise during RIMPAC 2026.

Photograph: Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, RIMPAC 2026

PDC helps nations build collective disaster readiness during the HADR phase of the world’s largest international maritime exercise

Oahu, Hawai’i—Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), in partnership with the U.S. Pacific Command (US PACOM), and twenty-nine other nations, international organizations, and interagency partners, supported the humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) component of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026—the exercise’s 30th iteration since 1971.

Held in direct proximity to the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 through July 31, RIMPAC 2026 brings together 30 nations, more than 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, over 206 aircraft, and more than 30,000 personnel. Within that vast undertaking, the HADR exercise trains multinational military and civilian teams to collaborate when it matters most in the region: the arrival of the next major disaster.

“Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response is a vital part of RIMPAC. Across our region, natural disasters are not a matter of if, but when. "

“Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response is a vital part of RIMPAC. Across our region, natural disasters are not a matter of if, but when. When they occur, our ability to respond quickly and effectively strengthens regional stability, reinforces our partnerships, and saves lives,” said U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, deputy commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and Exercise RIMPAC 2026 Combined Task Force.

PDC played a key role across all three phases of the HADR exercise, which included planning, academics, and execution. The academic portion, which included the Senior Staff Command Forum, HADR Symposium, and HADR Staff Planners Integration Course, deepened participants’ understanding of multinational disaster response coordination, humanitarian assistance operations, and the distinct roles military and civilian organizations play during major disasters. Subject matter experts from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), World Food Programme (WFP), Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC), and PDC shared lessons learned and operational perspectives. The Center presented its HADR mission, DisasterAWARE capabilities, and advanced analytics—highlighting how real-time impact forecasting, hazard modeling, and information sharing support life-saving decisions before, during, and after disasters.

 

Pictured: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Takuo Kobayashi, Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 Combined Task Force vice commander provides guidance to exercise participants during the first day of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) exercise, July 7, 2026

Photograph:Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, RIMPAC 2026

“Principle one is build relationships before disaster strikes. This is perhaps the most consistently validated lesson across every major HADR operation. "

PDC provides hurricane exercise daily situational awareness through its advanced analytical products and DisasterAWARE technology ecosystem.

Photograph: Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, RIMPAC 2026

“Principle one is build relationships before disaster strikes. This is perhaps the most consistently validated lesson across every major HADR operation. When the earthquake hits, when the tsunami arrives, it is too late to exchange business cards,” said Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Takuo Kobayashi, Exercise RIMPAC 2026 Combined Task Force vice commander.

That principle came to life in the exercise scenario: a Category 3 hurricane making direct landfall and demanding a coordinated multinational response. Participants conducted urban search and rescue, aerial assessments, healthcare emergency management, port restoration, logistics operations, and disaster coordination—the full arc of a real-world response compressed into the execution phase.

"For the 2026 RIMPAC HADR exercise, PDC supported scenario development and execution with daily situational awareness briefs, executive updates, hurricane impact forecasts, and pre-landfall impact assessments."

“For the 2026 RIMPAC HADR exercise, PDC supported scenario development and execution with daily situational awareness briefs, executive updates, hurricane impact forecasts, and pre-landfall impact assessments,” said Kalei Miller, PDC’s Senior Disaster Services Analyst and Liaison to US PACOM.

“We then shifted—just as in an actual disaster—to post-event damage assessments, needs analyses, and critical infrastructure status products built on PDC’s advanced modeling and analytics capabilities.”

Serving as White Cell support, Miller coordinated with humanitarian and military partners throughout the exercise, contributing to the master scenario event list development, request-for-assistance tracking, and overall design of the exercise.

Interoperability extended beyond the exercise floor through DisasterAWARE, providing a realistic demonstration of how partner systems can operate from a common foundation of disaster intelligence. DisasterAWARE synchronized data into Changi RHCC’s OPERA command-and-control platform, enhancing shared situational awareness and supporting data-driven coordination of assistance requests across the multinational force.

Through RIMPAC 2026, PDC reinforced the value of preparedness, information sharing, and coordinated decision-making while strengthening relationships with military and humanitarian partners throughout the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The Center anticipates continued participation in future RIMPAC exercises and plans to integrate lessons learned from this year’s activity into its long-term training and development programs.

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Pictured: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, was impacted a second time in July 2026 by Super Typhoon Bavi after initial significant impacts from Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April. 

Photo source: BBC.com

PDC provides decision-ready risk intelligence throughout rapidly evolving Category 5-equivalent storm

As Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) braced for impacts from a second super typhoon in less than three months, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) joined regional preparedness coordination and relief efforts aimed at safeguarding communities and critical infrastructure ahead of impact. Collaborating with U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), Joint Region Marianas, local emergency managers, FEMA, UNOCHA, IFRC, and others, PDC provided a common operational picture, authoritative data, and analysis through its DisasterAWARE technology ecosystem. DisasterAWARE delivered the early warning, real-time insights and analytics, and continuous situational awareness needed to support life-saving decisions before, during, and after the storm.

Super Typhoon Bavi formed on June 30 and intensified with alarming speed, reaching Category 5-equivalent strength with peak winds of 290 km/h (180 mph) as it approached the Mariana Islands. The storm’s eye crossed Rota on the morning of July 6 with sustained winds above 240 km/h (150 mph)—just 83 days after Super Typhoon Sinlaku caused widespread damage across the same islands. Communities still recovering from April’s Category 4 impacts had only days to prepare for another direct hit.

Key Response Challenges

Insights ahead of impact

PDC assesses potential compounding super typhoon impacts from Sinlaku and Bavi, only 8 days apart.

Photograph: PDC

PDC real-time analytics supported military and civilian emergency managers as readiness conditions increased across Guam and the CNMI. Preparedness actions included the activation of emergency operations centers, issuance of public alerts and safety guidance, evacuation planning for vulnerable populations, protection of critical infrastructure, and shelter-in-place recommendations in areas expected to experience dangerous conditions. Maritime activities were suspended in several locations, while airlines adjusted operations and canceled flights to ensure passenger and crew safety.

"PDC’s early warning and anticipated impact analytics provided the lead time and insights decision makers needed to protect lives, infrastructure, and communities."

“PDC’s early warning and anticipated impact analytics provided the lead time and insights decision makers needed to protect lives, infrastructure, and communities,” said Adam Gramann, PDC Liaison for Partner Capacity Building and Advanced Analytics.

“PDC’s pre-landfall analyses identified potential community impacts including population exposure, sheltering requirements, disruptions to critical services and lifelines, and anticipated humanitarian needs—giving planners a head start on both preparedness and response. Threats to critical infrastructure and lifeline systems were identified prior to landfall, enabling hardening to protect essential functions and reduce risk to assets,” said Gramann.

As readiness conditions rose across Guam and the CNMI, PDC's real-time analytics gave military and civilian emergency managers a clearer picture of what lay ahead. Emergency operations centers activated. Public alerts went out. Planners moved to evacuate vulnerable populations, harden critical infrastructure, and issue shelter-in-place guidance for the areas expected to take the worst of the storm. Ports closed to maritime traffic, and airlines grounded flights to keep passengers and crews out of harm's way.

From landfall to recovery

Following the storm’s passage, PDC delivered initial satellite-derived damage assessments, providing decision-makers with an early operational picture to support response and recovery efforts. PDC’s anticipated recovery analysis also gave planners a forward-looking assessment of post-landfall priorities, identifying anticipated requirements for infrastructure restoration, debris management, transportation access, shelter operations, logistics, and water and sanitation before they became shortfalls.

Once the storm passed by Guam and CNMI, PDC turned to recovery. Satellite-derived initial damage assessments gave decision-makers an early operational picture to guide response efforts on the ground. From there, PDC's anticipated recovery analysis looked further ahead, prioritizing what communities would need before they needed it—requirements for restoring infrastructure, clearing debris, reopening transportation routes, standing up shelter operations, moving logistics, and restoring water and sanitation services—so planners could get ahead of shortfalls rather than react to them.

Above: PDC analytical products aid planning and response to Super Typhoon Bavi.

Photographs: PDC

Tracking Bavi across the Pacific

As Bavi continued west across the Pacific and towards Taiwan, Japan’s Sakishima Islands, and eventual landfall in eastern China on July 11, PDC stayed with it, supporting partners at each stage of the storm’s path. In Taiwan, PDC’s flash flood and landslide analysis—based on forecasted rainfall accumulations and baseline terrain—estimated that 15.2 million people,64 percent of the population, lived in moderate to very high susceptibility zones, with 8.7 million in the highest-risk areas alone. The analysis also mapped exposed infrastructure: 1,390 hospitals and clinics, 341 schools, 17 port facilities, 43 substations, 175 power plants, and more than 33,000 km of roads, giving regional partners advance understanding of where impacts could concentrate.

Before the next storm

Bavi was the second super typhoon to strike the Marianas this season—and the Pacific’s typhoon season is far from over. As communities in Guam and the CNMI rebuild once again, PDC continues to monitor the western Pacific, with the same data, analysis, and shared operational picture ready for whatever forms next.

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Tens of thousands of buildings, along with critical infrastructure, were damaged or destroyed due to widespread soft-story construction prone to pancake collapse. 

Photograph: Associated Press

How interoperability and rapid analysis helped save lives

On June 24, 2026, two mega quakes (M7.2 and M7.5) struck west of the capital city of Caracas, Venezuela, roughly 39 seconds apart, devastating La Guaira and the states of Yaracuy and Carabobo. The sequence generated hundreds of aftershocks and triggered the largest international urban search and rescue (USAR) mobilization in the region’s history. PDC’s initial estimates placed 13.5 million people within the shaking zone, including a vulnerable population of 4.46 million.

Joining one of the largest-scale relief efforts in history, PDC embedded analysts and its DisasterAWARE technology ecosystem into mission operations engaged in the response.  From rapid impact assessments and USAR activity tracking, to 96-hour needs forecasting and real-time integration of building damage data, PDC was the authoritative data provider that guided major U.S. relief operations. Shortly after impact, its information streams and analytical insights generated initial estimates of impacts to critical systems to aid planning and prioritization of resources for responders facing widespread building collapse and disrupted power, water, and communications lifelines.

DisasterAWARE: A backbone of authoritative data for the global response

The response began within minutes. Six minutes after the earthquakes, DisasterAWARE had issued early warnings for the quakes and tsunami hazard, along with estimated impacts and needs. By eleven minutes, PDC Smart Alerts had reached more than 3.5 million DisasterAWARE users worldwide. And within 30 minutes, direct operational support to responders had been activated, with continuous updates flowing thereafter.

A PDC Event Brief was generated within minutes, providing the earliest understanding of impacts to populations, infrastructure, and critical community lifelines such as power, communication, and transportation. PDC estimates 13.5 million people were inside the shaking zone, many of whom live in informal hillside settlements prone to destruction from quakes and rain-triggered landslides.

Photograph: PDC

Venezuela Twin Earthquake Event Synopsis

Event Stats

(As of July 7, 2026)

Pictured: Early damage assessment information derived from satellite data in DisasterAWARE.

Key Response Challenges

The 72-hour race to reach survivors

PDC briefs on USAR locations and team activities.

Photograph: PDC

While lives hung in the balance, partners from every sector of the response relied on the same live foundation of PDC data through the DisasterAWARE ecosystem. PDC analysts collaborated with civil and military partners responding to the crisis from within the Combined Humanitarian Coordination Cell to provide early estimates of impacts to affected populations, the built environment, airports, seaports, hospitals, and schools, as well as tsunami and sea-level fluctuation warnings. Its critical infrastructure exposure assessments helped rank the hardest-hit areas while ground reports were still hours away. These insights informed operational briefings, planning cells, and resource decisions.

With sixty-seven USAR teams from dozens of nations, coordination challenges could not be solved through individual field reports alone. PDC’s live tracking of team locations, capabilities, and sector assignments gave a holistic view of which sectors had teams working, which did not, and where arriving units could do the most good alongside regional and international partners already on the ground. PDC also helped provide a comprehensive civil-military operating picture, integrating information from UNOCHA, WFP, IFRC, PAHO, and others for continuous situational awareness.

Above: Sample analytical products developed by PDC to aid international response and recovery efforts.

Photographs: PDC

The same picture shaped how assistance was physically moved. PDC assessments of airports, seaports, and road corridors identified which access points could bear the load, letting logistics staff set routes and priorities for USAR teams and relief cargo entering the affected region. More than 37 mission-critical datasets—shaking intensity, satellite-derived damage, infrastructure status, aid distribution sites, and more—were added to DisasterAWARE during the response, keeping the picture current as conditions changed.

As rescue gave way to recovery, PDC’s 96-hour needs outlooks, powered by the Center’s AI for Humanity technology, gave each planning cycle a head start—flagging emerging demands across health system restoration, debris management, transitional sheltering, water and sanitation, and humanitarian coordination before they became shortfalls.

The mission is not finished. PDC platforms remain the operational backbone for tracking evolving impacts, coordinating relief, and supporting evidence-based decisions as Venezuela’s recovery continues.

One mission. Many partners. Safer world.

PDC capabilities informed the J79 Civil-Military Operations Division and the international humanitarian relief effort, enabling information sharing and quick integration of new data from multiple sources. During the response, 352 new DisasterAWARE user accounts were created—153 U.S. Government accounts and 199 accounts for humanitarian actors. Organizations PDC supported, included: 

• U.S. Government (SOUTHCOM, U.S. State Department)
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
• World Food Programme (WFP)
• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
• Others

 

Why preparedness makes a difference

One of the biggest challenges in responding to a disaster of this scale is information-sharing across organizational lines. As a neutral, science-based organization trusted globally across agencies and sectors, PDC has worked hard to close this gap by providing a common operational picture during times of disaster that strengthens collaboration, coordination, and outcomes. The DisasterAWARE ecosystem was not introduced in the middle of a crisis—it was already part of the international operating environment that bridges communities. It has been exercised through continuous engagements and is embedded in the workflows of the organizations that need it.

This type of long-term investment meant that when the massive earthquake doublet rocked Venezuela, there was no ramp-up period. Impact assessments reached decision-makers within hours, and 338 new users across the response community were onboarded onto platforms their organizations already trusted.

The mission is not finished. PDC platforms remain the operational backbone for tracking evolving impacts, coordinating relief, and supporting evidence-based decisions as Venezuela’s recovery continues

Major Outcomes

Throughout crisis operations, PDC provided authoritative data, rapid analytics, and forward-looking decision support that enabled senior leaders, planners, logisticians, interagency partners, and multinational responders to operate from a more integrated common operational picture.

 

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