Disaster Management And The Role Of Communication

Disaster Management And The Role Of Communication

By PR Professionals, November 12, 2021

The occurrence of untoward circumstances such as disasters causes unprecedented chaos in the daily life of the common man. The widespread dilemma created by calamities affects the decision-making ability of not only the general public but also the authority concerned. But, the situation demands a quick action to mitigate the impact and ensure the well-being of people whose lives are derailed. Accurate and quick information can help achieve the objective and save many lives, especially during evolving events like flood, hurricane, etc.

Disaster management team works diligently to stem the panic and restore normalcy as quick as possible. During the courses of action, it becomes extremely important to establish a conversation with all the stakeholders. But, in general, during a disaster, a gap in communication is felt by all entrapped in the situation. Information exchange between the response team and those facing the ire of emergency event needs to take place on a regular basis to bridge the gap. Effective communication in the time of crisis can help manage the situation better.

The government needs to have all the information regarding the crisis to draw a feasible action plan. It is necessary to know the severity of the problem, the number of people affected and the possible area to be disturbed by the catastrophe soon for taking any step. Similarly, the common public wants to make the authority aware of their plight and fulfil the needs. A comprehensive study of data collected can help take a quick decision.

It is often found that people stay unaware of the steps taken by the government to deal with the situation. Thus, they can not avail the benefits, this not only increases their loans but also the resentment. Crisis communication plays a pivotal role in such times. It helps the government measure the effectiveness of the actions while creating awareness among the common populace about the measures.

A time of disaster is vulnerable to rumors. Any false news can create a devastating environment. Such possibilities can be eliminated only if people have access to veracious information. Regular communication between the people in authority and other concerned groups will be mutually beneficial. Some disasters, such as flood, cause outbreak of epidemic in the community. To curtail the chances of health complications, it becomes important for authority to disseminate information regarding preventive measures to be followed in the area. Timely propagation of credible information can help minimize the loss of life and wealth.

A swift and precision-based communication system is inevitable for planning and its proper implementation to win over disasters. Breakdown in exchange of information can cause failure in responses critical to deal with the emergency. We have traditional means of communication and the time has provided technological ones too, which circulate messages on a real-time basis. Though, it is difficult to prevent catastrophes but, we can manage crisis using all the communication channels to their utmost efficiency with ease.