First impact Assessment Systems and Tools for Earthquake rapid Response

forthcoming

Earthquakes are among the most destructive and unpredictable natural hazards globally, particularly affecting Europe and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), as well as its neighboring countries. Despite efforts under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), recent seismic events have exposed gaps in early impact assessment capabilities, especially during the critical first 48 hours post-event. To address this, several UCPM member states have independently developed Rapid Response to Earthquake (RRE) tools, though these remain heterogeneous and lack a shared operational framework. The FASTER project aims to improve and harmonize five of the most advanced RRE systems -developed in Italy, France, Türkiye, Romania, and Spain - by fostering interoperability, enhancing technical performance, and first and foremost aligning their frameworks with practitioners’ real needs. The project pursues three main objectives: (1) improve and harmonize RRE tools for better cooperation within the UCPM and beyond, (2) enhance responsiveness through experience-sharing and analysis of real events, and (3) raise stakeholder awareness and coordination across all civil protection levels. FASTER brings together civil protection authorities, research institutions and developers, and establishes a dedicated Community of Practice (CoP) within the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network. This CoP will consolidate best practices, support tool adoption in less-equipped countries, and contribute to more coherent, actionable seismic risk management planning across Europe.