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The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN) conducted a mission to formulate the Program for the Improvement and Equipping of the Programa de Mejoramiento y Equipamiento del Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia Atmosférica y Alerta Temprana (PROSAT), This initiative seeks to strengthen El Salvador’s capacity to anticipate and respond to natural threats.
During the mission, technical teams from both institutions analyzed the program’s design, implementation framework, required investments, and costs. They also evaluated economic, environmental, and social aspects to define the next steps for advancing the initiative.
PROSAT aims to modernize the national monitoring and early warning system by strengthening meteorological, hydrological, seismic, and volcanic monitoring. This would enhance the country’s ability to identify potential threats and access more timely information regarding phenomena such as tropical cyclones, intense storms, flash floods, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.
One of the components under consideration is the rehabilitation of the existing weather radar network, as well as the selective incorporation of Doppler technology. This technology allows for the analysis of precipitation patterns and storm movements, which would help improve the tracking of heavy rainfall and other meteorological phenomena.
The program also proposes implementing an integrated platform for forecasting, analysis, climate services, and data management. The system would aggregate data from radars, monitoring stations, satellites, and numerical models to facilitate the analysis of atmospheric conditions, the generation of short-term forecasts, and the dissemination of meteorological and climate information.
Another objective is to strengthen the entire early warning chain, ranging from threat detection to the communication of alerts to institutions and communities that could be affected. This final stage, known as the “last mile,” is crucial for ensuring that technical information reaches the public in an understandable format and can be used to make timely decisions.
To improve this process, PROSAT includes the development of protocols, the definition of alert thresholds, coordination with Civil Protection agencies, and the use of various channels to disseminate warnings. Training activities and drills are also included to strengthen the preparedness of institutions and communities for potential emergencies.
Through this initiative, CABEI aims to support El Salvador in developing an integrated capacity to monitor multiple natural hazards. The goal is for the available information to enable the anticipation of risks and improve the response to events that could affect the population, infrastructure, and the country’s economic activities.
