"Barbadians are not sufficiently prepared for natural disasters. In addition to being heavily reliant on electricity and the internet for communicating during times of crises and disasters, Barbados is in need of a mandatory building code, more resilient housing and building infrastructures, and gre
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ater uptake of insurance among property owners. Moreover, some Barbadians continue to be delayed in their response to emergency warnings. Their tendency to procrastinate on preparing for emergencies and disasters is largely attributed to the fact that, unlike other Caribbean territories, Barbados has not been significantly impacted by a disaster event for over sixty (60) years. As the telecommunication penetration continues to rise in the island, and the Barbados Government continues to be increasingly communicative, the past few years have seen the emergence of a healthier information ecosystem in Barbados, which in turn has made it easier for Barbadians to access the information that they need to effectively participate in society. This progress is however being undermined by the presence of the following undesirable properties: citizens’ and media professionals’ lack of access to information from local authorities caused by inaccessibility of authorities, unavailability of information, and bureaucratic structures and processes of; some citizens’ lack of access to the key information channels; the disabled community’s inability to access information from credible news and information sources; government’s increasing control over information flow; delays in dissemination of crisis and disaster communication to the media by the government; the use of jargons in crisis and disaster communications by local authorities; the proliferation of fake news and propaganda shared on social media and other online platforms; the inability of some Barbadians to identify malicious/inaccurate information; the deterioration of trust among Barbadians in their main information sources." (Overview of key findings, page 7)
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"Generally, Dominicans have access to the information that they need to make informed decisions, especially as it relates to disaster preparation and response. Despite having timely access to disaster-related information, however, some persons continue to act complacent and either fail or refuse to
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prepare for impending disasters." (Back cover)
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"Twitter is a major tool for communication during emergencies and disasters. This study aimed to investigate Twitter use during natural hazards and pandemics. The included studies reported the role of Twitter in disasters triggered by natural hazards. Electronic databases were used for a comprehensi
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ve literature search to identify the records that match the mentioned inclusion criteria published through May 2020. Forty-five articles met the selection criteria and were included in the review. These indicated ten functions of Twitter in disasters, including early warning, dissemination of information, advocacy, assessment, risk communication, public sentiment, geographical analysis, charity, collaboration with influencers and building trust. Preventing the spread of misinformation is one of the most important issues in times of disaster, especially pandemics. Sharing accurate, transparent and prompt information from emergency organizations and governments can help. Moreover, analyzing Twitter data can be a good way to understand the mental state of the community, estimate the number of injured people, estimate the points affected by disasters and model the prevalence of epidemics. Therefore, various groups such as politicians, government, nongovernmental organizations, aid workers and the health system can use this information to plan and implement interventions." (Abstract)
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"This document is intended to be used as a resource bibliography for in-depth reading about risk communication best practices. It summarizes academic research and practical guidance on the topic of hazards and disaster risk communication, with a particular focus on socially vulnerable populations. I
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t is organized around three primary sections, including: 1) General Risk Communication Guidance; 2) Risk Communication and Social Vulnerability; 3) Risk Communication Across the Disaster Lifecycle. This bibliography identifies widely accepted risk communication principles that apply across the disaster lifecycle; however, the focus on social vulnerability sets it apart from other published resources on the topic of risk communication. It highlights materials that demonstrate how risk communication insights apply to a diverse array of socially vulnerable groups—defined here as those who face disproportionate disaster risk due to a variety of historical, social, economic, and political conditions." (Overview)
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"This document is intended to be used as a high-level guide for advancing risk communication best practices. It synthesizes academic research and available guidance on the topic of hazards and disaster risk communication. It draws from an array of evidence-based recommendations for effectively commu
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nicating risk across the disaster lifecycle and synthesizes them into three overarching principles: Communicate Through Familiar and Trusted Messengers; Provide Clear, Actionable Information; Tailor Message and Information Pathways for Target Audiences. Additionally, this guide integrates key insights that can be applied to communication involving socially vulnerable populations. Social vulnerability influences the capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from the impact of a disaster. Socially vulnerable populations are thus more likely to experience disproportionate negative impacts from disasters including emotional distress, loss of property, temporary or permanent displacement, illness, and death. Rather than generate a different set of rules for engaging these groups, this document aims to highlight how general, widely accepted risk communication principles can be thoughtfully applied to populations that are often marginalized, overlooked, or difficult to reach." (Overview)
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"Even the most sophisticated forecasting models and advanced early warning systems can be rendered ineffective if the information is not communicated clearly, on time, and in a way that allows the end-user to consider options and act appropriately. These challenges not only apply to fast onset hazar
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ds such as cyclones and tsunamis, but also to slower onset hazards such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Around the world, governments' responses to the current pandemic provide examples of how complex and difficult successful risk communication is. This paper discusses the importance of risk communication as a critical component of early warning systems and explores the constant challenges that vulnerable communities face, how early warning systems sit within the wider Sendai Framework, and what governments have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses how we can communicate more effectively in the future to reduce harm." (Abstract)
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"Comunicar o risco de inundação para as partes interessadas, sobretudo os vulneráveis, é um dos principais desafios que a gestão pública e demais atores possuem na busca pela construção de cidades e sociedades resilientes, e pelo desenvolvimento regional. Baseado nisso, o presente trabalho t
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em como objetivo apresentar o status quo e as tendências e padrões na pesquisa de comunicação de risco de inundação ao longo do tempo. Para tanto, empregou-se a análise bibliométrica como técnica de pesquisa, visando ampliar e atualizar o arcabouço de referências que compõem a temática. Como principais resultados, tem-se a identificação de 59 artigos em 31 periódicos distintos, os quais foram publicados principalmente a partir de 2007. A maior parcela dos 189 autores identificados é oriunda de países europeus e norte-americanos, influenciando no estabelecimento de redes de colaboração. Há uma baixíssima ou até mesmo ausência de autores dos demais continentes, sobretudo os países em vias de desenvolvimento na África e na América Latina, onde o risco de desastres tem causado grandes impactos, sobretudo nos grupos mais vulneráveis. Embora seja um tema emergente e ainda pouco explorado, os trabalhos realizados até o momento têm apresentado resultados extraordinariamente elucidativos no que diz respeito à gestão e aos efeitos da comunicação de risco na sociedade." (Resumo)
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"The effective management of the risk of disasters depends on communication and information sharing across all levels of government, within communities, and between public and private organizations. In particular, timely and effective information flow is important for early warning and alerting the
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population, for preparing for an emergency event, and for the effective coordination and articulation of response activities that can minimize economic loss, mitigate the impact on public well-being and loss of life.
A national emergency telecommunication plan (NETP) sets out a strategy to enable and ensure communications availability during the disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery phases, by promoting coordination across all levels of government, between public and private organizations, and within communities at risk. Preparation and implementation of an NETP engages stakeholders to think through the life cycle of a potential disaster, it determines the required capabilities for emergency responses, and establishes a governance framework of roles and responsibilities. It also clarifies how to shape planning, envision and share desired outcomes, and it outlines effective ways to achieve and communicate expected results. The NETP will reflect what diverse stakeholder communities need to focus on in order to address specific risks with available resources. Additionally, for developing countries, the NETP will highlight major areas of risk. This not only provides support and justification for the funding of vital equipment and personnel in an emergency, but also promotes the need for day-to-day resources and procedures that keep national authorities prepared, especially to maintaining vital communications, the essential lifeline during emergencies.
This report assists national authorities and policymakers to develop a clear, flexible and user-friendly framework that guides countries on how to develop a strategic plan to support and enable the continued use of telecommunication and information and communication technology (ICT) networks and services in all four disaster management phases. It not only describes the main elements that an NETP should consider, but also highlights its potential benefits. It includes a step-by-step guide to the development of an NETP, it serves as a useful resource based on ITU recommendations and concepts, as well as expertise from other global bodies and organizations." (Overview, page 1)
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"A partir de un análisis de contenido realizado a 28 materiales educativos digitales para formar periodistas de Latinoamérica sobre el cubrimiento de la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres entre 2012 y 2018, el presente artículo pretende establecer si el enfoque de dichos recursos pedagógicos es co
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herente con los lineamientos de las agencias internacionales para la formación de los reporteros, en el sentido de propiciar una cobertura adecuada del tema. De manera que corresponda al cambio de paradigma de la atención de desastres a la gestión del riesgo, en el cual se busca propiciar el conocimiento de los riesgos, la reducción y el manejo de los desastres. Los resultados del análisis identificaron avances y limitaciones en la construcción de los manuales, tanto en lo que tiene que ver con su pertinencia pedagógica como en la inclusión de temas centrales para la GRD. A partir de los hallazgos se ofrecen reflexiones para que se fortalezcan la formación de los periodistas en la GRD, con el fin de que favorezca una gestión prospectiva del riesgo y fortalezca el desarrollo social." (Abstract)
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"This guide focuses on the following areas: a brief orientation and perspective on the media for public officials, including discussion of how the media thinks and works, and on the public as the end-recipient of information; techniques for responding to and cooperating with the media in conveying i
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nformation and delivering messages before, during, and after a public health crisis; tools of the trade of media relations and public communications; strategies and tactics for addressing opportunities and challenges that may arise as a consequence of communications initiatives." (Preface)
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"The concept of social vulnerability has been increasingly applied in disaster literature, but its communicative drivers have remained understudied. In this article, we put forward a heuristic framework for explaining how communication-related factors may adversely affect people’s capacity to prep
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are for and respond to disasters. This will help researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the field of disasters and crises to systematically identify individual, social-structural, and situational factors of vulnerability that shape how people access, understand, and act upon information about hazards. We integrate ideas from recent literature on information disorders – various forms and effects of false or harmful information that are characteristic to modern communication ecosystems – to improve our understanding of how the new media environments may transform the ways people learn about hazards and cope with disasters." (Abstract)
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"Este artículo analizó la cobertura de la gestión de riesgo de desastres en tres regiones de América Latina para conocer si el cambio de paradigma, de pensar el riesgo como una construcción social en lugar de enfocarse en el desastre, se veía reflejado en las narrativas periodísticas. Mediant
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e un análisis de contenido de 130 noticias se demostró que la redacción presenta vicios como privilegiar fuentes oficiales y comunicados de prensa o contar los hechos sin análisis ni contexto. Se evidenció que el énfasis permanece en el desastre, lo que representa una oportunidad de ejercer un periodismo de prevención, que presente la GRD como un tema transversal en la agenda mediática, alineada con temas del desarrollo como pobreza, corrupción o salud." (Resumen)
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"Broadcast media has a particular fascination with stories that involve risk and health crisis events-disease outbreaks, terrorist acts, and natural disasters-contexts where risk and health communication play a critical role. An evolving media landscape introduces both challenges and opportunities f
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or using communication to manage extreme events and hazardous contexts. Risk and Health Communication in an Evolving Media Environment addresses issues of risk and health communication with a collection of chapters that reflect state-of-the-art discussion by top scholars in the field. The authors in this volume develop unique and insightful perspectives by employing the best available research on topics such as brand awareness in healthcare communication, occupational safety, climate change communication, local broadcasts of weather emergencies, terrorism, and the Ebola outbreak, among many other areas. It features analysis of new and traditional media that connects disasters, crises, risks, and public policy issues into a coherent fabric." (Publisher description)
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"Now in its sixth edition, Risk Communication has proven to be a valuable resource for environmental, safety, and health professionals who are tasked with the responsibility of understanding how to apply the most current approaches to communicating risk and debunking misinformation. The sixth editio
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n updates the text with fresh and illustrative examples, lessons learned, and recent research as well as provides advice and guidelines for communicating risk information. The authors include background information to understand the basic theories and practices of risk communication and explain how to plan an effective strategy and put it into action. The book also contains data on evaluating risk communication efforts and explores how to communicate risk during and after a health or environmental emergency." (Publisher description)
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