Running head: OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATING DISASTER WARNINGS

Obstacles to Communicating Disaster Warnings Name of Student Name of Establishment

OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATING DISASTER WARNINGS Abstract Hardly a day passes by without the news about some major happenings in the world. As disasters continue to strike causing huge devastation and raising peoples concern about their lives, it is important to acknowledge the obstacles to communicating disaster warnings and things that need to be done to ensure a much better response to any future hazard or major disaster.

OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATING DISASTER WARNINGS Obstacles to Communicating Disaster Warnings

When speaking of a disaster in general, we automatically think of a hazard, either natural or man-made, resulting in some events which cause significant physical damage, drastic changes to the environment or even loss of lives, which profoundly impacts on economy and society. According to Fritz (Fritz, 1961), a disaster is an event concentrated in time and space, in which a society or one of its subdivisions undergoes physical harm and social disruption, such that all or some essential functions of the society or subdivision are impacted. Scientifically, definitions of a disaster can be grouped under such categories as classic, hazards/disasters, and socially focused (Perry, 2006). The concept of disaster phases is usually characterized by hazard mitigation, disaster preparedness, emergency response, and disaster recovery (National Governors Association, 1978). Communicating disaster warnings is one of the most important steps towards disaster preparedness, as it helps to take necessary actions to prevent and mitigate impacts of a disaster altogether. The media are the most important and considered to be a primary source of disaster information. It influences how the population and government view, perceive, and respond to hazards and disasters. Nonetheless, the disaster preparedness system is not perfect and there are still a lot of obstacles to communicating disaster warnings that should be taken into consideration to achieve much better results. When talking about obstacles to communicating disaster warnings, emphasis should be placed on developing disaster resilient communities, which should be actively engaged in the decision-making process (Rodriguez H., 2006). Human organizations and willingness to cooperate are critical factors in making better use of information technology for disaster management. New and enhanced technology should be created to facilitate and improve

OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATING DISASTER WARNINGS

communication prior to, during, and after a disaster event. Among other obstacles, there are also technological failures and malfunctions, system interdependency and fast-developing events, increased vulnerability, inadequacy of radars coverage, limited warning time, lack of training and experience among personnel, and slowness of weather information updates (Rodriguez H., 2006). An integrated warning and communication model needs to be developed to fully complete disaster preparedness. It should take into consideration the development of technology, dissemination of scientific knowledge, and the role of the media. However, extra attention should be paid to the way end-users will be getting disaster warnings and other information, because sometimes access to multiple sources of information might create confusion and uncertainty. Response to disaster events might be another obstacle on the way to communicating disaster warnings. It is, to a great extent, impacted by social class, gender, education, ethnicity, cultural background, and previous experiences. These factors significantly influence the reception of the message, as well as individual response. In the last decades, new technological innovations have been introduced for the dissemination of information that might be very helpful in communicating disaster warnings. Among those are earth observation system, a geographic information system (GIS), the global positioning system (GPS), remote sensing, emails, radios, TVs, newspapers, as well as the Internet and wireless connections (Rodriguez H., 2006). The proper use of the technological innovations stated above, training and education of respondents, and effective communication and coordination between organizations and the general public might significantly reduce negative consequences of a disaster event.

OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATING DISASTER WARNINGS References Fritz C.E. (1961). Disaster. Contemporary Social Problems, 651-694.

National Governors Association. (1978). Comprehensive Emergency Management. Washington, DC: National Governors Association. Perry R.W. (2006). What is a disaster? In: Rodrguez H, Quarantelli E.L. and Dynes R.R. Handbook of Disaster Research, 115. Rodrigues H. (2006). Technology, Disasters and Public Response: Understanding the Complexities of Risk Communication. Retrieved from: http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/handle/19716/2375/Technology,%20Disast ers%20and%20Public%20Response%20PDF.pdf?sequence=3