Lack of trust main challenge in disaster, risk communication: expert

Manila: Early warning information about disasters does not prompt early action from people at risk in vulnerable communities, an expert said Wednesday.

In a discussion on the role of media and social media in risk communication, British Broadcasting Corporation Media Action Asia Pacific and Europe Regional Director Gemma Hayman said people do not take action on risk warning messages despite their relevance and timeliness due to a variety of reasons.

Citing a related project in Somalia last year, Hayman said religious beliefs and fear around resourcing are two of the top reasons why people did not heed the early warning to evacuate during a flooding situation.

However, the significant factor is the lack of trust on the information disseminated in multiple channels.

“Communication is a process. It’s really, really important to plan, to think about what you want to do…what you want to achieve with this particular piece of content,” she added.

“Think about how you’re going to reach and how the content is g
oing to resonate,” she added.

To ensure a country’s risk communication is impactful, Hayman said it must be “interactive, accurate, personalized, clear, concise, consistent, timely, practical and actionable”.

She advised that risk communication must use multiple channels to reach audiences to reinforce information, including social media that can reach even the farthest communities.

It must also be presented in an appealing way and leaves no one out in terms of gender, abilities, language and socially excluded groups.

Source: Philippines News Agency