Cabo Verde Backs Early Warning Roadmap After Gonzalo Floods Hit Coastal Communities

Early warnings gave authorities and residents time to take precautions before Gonzalo struck, and no deaths have been reported.

Flooded streets and damaged coastal infrastructure in Santa Maria brought the importance of early warnings into sharp focus as Cabo Verde took a major step towards strengthening protection against dangerous weather. Days after Tropical Storm Gonzalo flooded parts of Sal, institutions and stakeholders responsible for detecting hazards, issuing warnings and supporting emergency action gathered in Praia on 29 September 2026 to validate the country's national Early Warnings for All roadmap.

Gonzalo shows why warnings must lead to action

Early warnings gave authorities and residents time to take precautions before Gonzalo struck, and no deaths have been reported. Areas of Santa Maria were left underwater, with damage along the coast demonstrating the disruption a storm can cause even when people receive advance notice. The experience highlighted the value of timely alerts and the need to strengthen the entire warning process, so information about an approaching hazard reaches people in a form they can understand and use to protect themselves.

Cabo Verde's roadmap arrives amid concerns about weather and climate extremes associated with a developing El Niño, which the World Meteorological Organization has warned could become very strong and increase risks into 2027. Its multi-hazard approach connects four essential parts of protection: understanding risks, monitoring conditions and producing forecasts, communicating warnings, and preparing for an effective response. Each part matters because an accurate forecast only becomes useful protection when communities receive the warning and know what action to take.

National partners shape a shared plan

The roadmap grew from a consultation process involving stakeholders across Cabo Verde, led by the Minister of Environment, Climate Action and Energy with support from the National Secretariat for Climate Action. Four national institutions led its pillars: the National Civil Protection and Fire Service, the National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics, the Multisectoral Economic Regulatory Agency, and the Cabo Verde Red Cross. Their involvement brings together the different responsibilities needed to turn information about danger into practical help for residents.

Validation opens the next phase of securing resources and putting the roadmap into practice, a task requiring participation well beyond the organisations that developed it. Public institutions, local authorities, civil society, businesses, communities and development partners will all have a role in making warnings timely, accessible and actionable. For people facing a storm or another hazard, the practical value of this cooperation lies in receiving reliable information early enough to make decisions and having the support needed to respond.

Funding and better information delivery support the next steps

Investment is already underway through the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, which is supporting the roadmap's second pillar by strengthening the observations used to produce forecasts and warnings. The United Nations Environment Programme has also submitted a concept note to the Green Climate Fund for a proposed project that could help deliver roadmap priorities. That proposal represents a potential source of support, with its contribution depending on the project moving forward.

The Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative, known as CREWS, has supported Cabo Verde's Early Warnings for All rollout, first through its West Africa project and more recently through its Accelerated Support Window. The World Meteorological Organization and the National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics secured this more recent support to develop the roadmap with national partners. Assistance will continue beyond validation, covering a national strategic plan, digital transformation and a website designed to improve the delivery and reach of vital information. These efforts and the investments underway give Cabo Verde a shared direction for extending effective warnings across the country.