Albania | Heatwave – Early Action Protocol Operations Update (sEAP number: sEAP2025AL01 | Operation Number: MDRAL009) (05.06.2026)

Country: Albania Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. EARLY ACTION PROTOCOL Summary of revisions to the operation In the Simplified Early Action Protocol for Heatwave, the Albanian Red Cross (ARC) planned the following key interventions: •Multi-purpose cash assistance for 300 vulnerable households (approx. 825 people) to cover increased costs related to extreme heat (cooling, water, electricity, medicines). •Health and care support through the Green Line, remote monitoring calls, and mobile team visits targeting 1,500 vulnerable individuals, including older persons and people with chronic conditions. •Community heat preparedness interventions (cooling points, water distribution, awareness) reaching up to 15,000 people across Tirana, Berat, and Elbasan. •School-based awareness and education activities targeting 300 students, with indirect outreach to families. Implementation Progress (June–December 2025) •During the reporting period, implementation remained in the initial readiness and coordination phase, with focus on technical preparation rather than operational rollout: •A kick-off and technical workshop (October 2025) brought together ARC, IFRC, Austrian Red Cross, IGEO, ministries, and branch teams. This clarified: roles and responsibilities, trigger mechanism for heatwave activation and coordination and communication procedures. •Branch-level preparedness planning was initiated to ensure response capacity within the 5-day lead time prior to a heatwave. •A Memorandum of Understanding with IGEO / Tirana University was finalized to: develop forecasting products and operationalize trigger monitoring systems Financially, expenditures remained low (approx. CHF 2,183), covering mainly: •coordination •travel •technical meetings •initial support costs •This reflects the early preparatory stage of the sEAP implementation. Implementation Progress (January–June 2026) Most operational and procurement activities were conducted in 2026, including: -The heatwave monitoring product was finalized by IGEO mid May and tested to be ready on 1 June – see figure) -volunteer training on CVA, KoBo, PGI and CEA basics (2 days in May) -beneficiary registration verification for cash support took place in all branches in late May 2026 with a KoBo questionnaire enabling the ranking of the registered HHs by vulnerability -cash preparedness systems: cheques have been procured and delivered by Raiffeisen Bank on 15 May to AlbRC and put into the finance department safe box. -procurement of cooling infrastructure and equipment for community heat preparedness points completed at the end of May; Discussions with municipalities Elbasan and Berat where to build up the community heat preparedness points to reach most vulnerable have been finalized in April – in Tirana discussions have been finalized in June 2026. -awareness campaigns and Green Telefone Line scale-up started and prepared; Greenline FAQs have been prepared and reviewed in May 2026. The first of 2 videos for social media campaigns have been finalized end May (video no 1 will be published via social media as soon as the sEAP is being activated; video no 2 will be published on all AlbRC social media channels 1 day before the heatwave strikes. Video no 2 is still in production and will be delivered until 10 July. -Kick-off meeting with principals of schools are organised and then education sessions were also held in schools promoting awareness among children/students and their families on safety from heat waves until mid-June.