Disaster managers should plan now to face compressed hurricane response timelines and compound, cascading events like flooding, landslides, and other secondary impacts. Systems not equipped to deal with simultaneous events have a high potential to become overwhelmed.
Advanced technologies like DisasterAWARE are designed to help decision makers not only monitor early storm formations but also anticipate what these storms mean for communities and how to act effectively to mitigate multi-hazard impacts.
“What separates agencies that thrive during a super El Niño hurricane season from those that struggle isn’t speed during the crisis—it’s the work done before it…”
Super El Niño hurricane risks include:
“During a super El Niño season, storms can intensify quickly, shift faster than normal, and produce secondary, cascading hazards like floods, landslides, and damaging storm surge. Our unique multi-hazard monitoring and risk intelligence capabilities help disaster managers keep ahead of evolving threats and fill critical knowledge and monitoring gaps,” said PDC’s Director of Applied Science, Dr. Joseph Green.
Leveraging its scientific partnerships with NOAA, NASA, and a wealth of other authoritative data sources, PDC brings together forecast information for multiple hazards into its DisasterAWARE early warning platform. To support super El Niño hurricane preparedness, the platform provides real-time early-cycle hurricane forecast track analysis, wind and precipitation forecasts, information about sea surface temperature anomalies, probabilistic storm surge, and probabilistic flood and landslide information.
“We analyze a variety of hurricane and weather data using our all-hazard impact model (AIM) to determine the level of threat a hazard may pose. We then augment the information with our proprietary AI for Humanity technology to issue alerts and generate rapid analytics on impacts to populations and infrastructure in near real time.”
“We analyze a variety of hurricane and weather data using our all-hazard impact model to determine the level of threat a hazard may pose. We then augment the information with our proprietary AI for Humanity technology.”
Event Brief tropical cyclone wind impact analytics in near real-time via DisasterAWARE
NOAA tropical cyclone rainfall forecast in DisasterAWARE
Critical infrastructure monitoring and exposure analysis in DisasterAWARE
Analysis of critical infrastructure exposure to storm surge in DisasterAWARE
Global flash flood hazard zones in DisasterAWARE
Global landslide susceptibility data
in DisasterAWARE
Disaster managers should set up Smart Alerts in DisasterAWARE to ensure their notifications are ready to fire the moment a tropical cyclone is detected. Once a tropical cyclone is detected, be sure to set up Smart Alerts for secondary hazards floods, landslides, and tornadoes (U.S. only).
Take our quick online tutorial for instructions on Smart Alert setup.
To protect the safety of assets and receive alerts about threats to essential systems that communities depend on, be sure to integrate your critical asset data using our secure protocols.
Take our in-depth online training course on critical asset and infrastructure protection.
PDC’s Free Disaster Alert™ Mobile App
All-hazard forecasts for the public—free
At the public level, PDC’s Disaster Alert™ mobile app extends the life-saving intelligence DisasterAWARE directly to communities worldwide. Delivering authoritative, real-time hazard alerts across all major threat types, the app empowers individuals to take protective action when it matters most—augmenting emergency services during peak response periods and strengthening overall community resilience.
[IMAGE: Disaster Alert app on smartphone showing active tropical hazard alerts]
Disaster Alert covers all major natural hazard types:
• Tropical cyclones
• Flooding
• Tsunamis and high surf
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes
• Wildfires
• Severe storms and tornadoes
• Drought and extreme heat
• Winter storms
• Landslides
• and More…
No subscription required: Free on iOS and Android
DisasterAWARE brings together information about converging weather conditions, analyzes potential impacts, and provides robust monitoring and risk analysis augmented by AI. These technologies enable decision makers to effectively deal with a variety of direct and secondary hurricane hazard impacts.
“A super El Niño should trigger a shift in how agencies understand and manage tropical cyclone risk in 2026—from reactive response to proactive intelligence built before the first storm forms. As compound events continue to grow in scale and frequency, so must our tools and strategies,” said PDC’s Dr. Hughey.
In a world where multi-hazard events are growing in scale and complexity, preparedness depends on visibility, speed, and informed decision-making. With the right tools in place, agencies can move from reacting to disasters to anticipating them—and ultimately, building more resilient communities.
“A super El Niño should trigger a shift in how agencies understand and manage tropical cyclone risk in 2026—from reactive response to proactive intelligence built before the first storm forms. “
Jun 19, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
The June 8 Mindanao earthquake demonstrated how years of investment in PhilAWARE, training, and operational integration of critical life-saving data enabled immediate situational awareness and coordinated decision-making across the Philippines national disaster response system…
Jun 12, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
With more than 6.5 million fans from over 100 countries converging on cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the public health stakes are significant. The team is leveraging DisasterAWARE for timely, integrated situational awareness…
May 6, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
In recent years, “wildfire weather” has emerged as a critical concept in disaster management. Catastrophes like the Lahaina wildfire in Hawai‘i, the California Palisades fire, and Canada’s wildfire disaster of 2023, illustrate the need for a fundamental shift in preparedness and planning…
May 5, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) is advancing its Building Disaster Early Warning Capacity project in Cali, Colombia, through recent completion of an in-person DisasterAWARE training and a dedicated Training of Trainers (ToT) program…
Apr 20, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
A rare and compounding series of storms struck the Hawaiian islands in rapid succession during the weeks of March 9-22, as two powerful “Kona low” low-pressure systems inundated the state with historic levels of rainfall and powerful winds. The dangerous and uncommon meteorological event…
Mar 11, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
New agreement focuses on regional risk reduction and resilience building capacity among Pacific Island nations by establishing a framework for expanded regional collaboration and coordination into a structured, long-term partnership designed to support risk-informed decision-making before, during, and after disasters.
ABOUT PDC
Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) is a leading scientific innovator of global risk reduction science and technology. As a University of Hawai’i applied science and research center, our work intersects with a variety of government, community, academic, and scientific organizations at home and around the world to build resilience to natural and man-made hazards—enhancing the capacity to quickly and accurately anticipate and prepare for new and emerging threats. Our innovations in multi-hazard early warning systems, predictive analytics, data science, and machine learning provide decision-makers with the powerful tools and insights they need to navigate today’s complex and interconnected risk landscape.
Jun 19, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
The June 8 Mindanao earthquake demonstrated how years of investment in PhilAWARE, training, and operational integration of critical life-saving data enabled immediate situational awareness and coordinated decision-making across the Philippines national disaster response system…
Jun 12, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
With more than 6.5 million fans from over 100 countries converging on cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the public health stakes are significant. The team is leveraging DisasterAWARE for timely, integrated situational awareness…
May 6, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
In recent years, “wildfire weather” has emerged as a critical concept in disaster management. Catastrophes like the Lahaina wildfire in Hawai‘i, the California Palisades fire, and Canada’s wildfire disaster of 2023, illustrate the need for a fundamental shift in preparedness and planning…
May 5, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) is advancing its Building Disaster Early Warning Capacity project in Cali, Colombia, through recent completion of an in-person DisasterAWARE training and a dedicated Training of Trainers (ToT) program…
Apr 20, 2026 | Disaster Response, DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
A rare and compounding series of storms struck the Hawaiian islands in rapid succession during the weeks of March 9-22, as two powerful “Kona low” low-pressure systems inundated the state with historic levels of rainfall and powerful winds. The dangerous and uncommon meteorological event…
Mar 11, 2026 | DisasterAWARE, Early Warning
New agreement focuses on regional risk reduction and resilience building capacity among Pacific Island nations by establishing a framework for expanded regional collaboration and coordination into a structured, long-term partnership designed to support risk-informed decision-making before, during, and after disasters.