“There’s a real need for good communication and that’s not just that it’s in plain language and it’s got all the right words – it’s that it is consistent, that it’s timely, there’s plenty of advance notice and all the relevant stakeholders are engaged”
Acting on clear, informative, timely communication reduces confusion and limits misinformation. It improves co-ordination and response across the emergency management cycle. We want to create and maintain known pathways for regular communication that enhances relationships and knowledge across the sector.
Find out how you can support these ideas and get involved.
Susan Atkinson’s brief opinion piece How does information really flow describes how communities create formal and informal networks to share information. She thinks we need a better understanding of how people get and share information. She highlights evidence of a correlation between poor communication with communities and their recovery after a disaster.
David King and Yetta Gurtner studied three surveys completed post-hazard events in Queensland. In their article Information and communication for disaster resilience they describe significant variation in peoples communication and information needs. They also discuss the variation in communication needs within sub-population groups.
Exploring communication inefficiencies in disaster response: Perspectives of emergency managers and health professionals used interviews with senior leaders in both the health and emergency management sectors to identify barriers to effective communication and information sharing.