Question

Design a Public Disaster Preparedness Communication Plan

As the newly appointed Risk Manager for the National Disaster Preparedness Centre, you are requested to prepare a National Public Disaster Awareness Campaign for your country, which have suffered severe human and property losses in the past due to the location of your country.

Your country is situated in a major earthquake fault line, which fault line runs into the ocean on the countries western region. These earthquakes causes major damage in the form of tsunami waves which causes huge property damage and loss of life on the coastal region, mostly populated by poor fishermen who largely lives in bamboo huts close to the seaside.

The western coast is ridged by a mountain range, which stops the huge waves to reach the inland regions, however, the area is one of the most fruitful regions of the country as many coconut plantations are located here.

Roads are mostly single lane gravel roads and one small airport exists, which has two local flights a day.

Your National Disaster Preparedness Communication Plan must take into account and elaborate on the following:

1. The need of risk communication, and the goals of the risk communication strategy that are to be addressed.
2. The target audience, type of message, and role of social media and other communication media for effective communication strategy.
3. The Public Disaster Preparedness Campaign including the three phases: Early Planning, Developing the Campaign Strategy, Campaign implementation and Evaluation.
4. Evaluate a risk communication strategy and a public disaster preparedness campaign implemented. Conclude the lessons learnt to work effectively with key stakeholders.

Note : the answer should be computerized ( in word version )

Answer 1

Solution –

National Disaster Preparedness Communication Plan – Strategy

1. Need for the risk communication – It is important to communicate a preparedness for risk as the people are suffer huge damages due to the running earthquake fault line and secondly we need to take into perspective of the poor farmers who get most affected and our communication on the risk mitigation plan will help them escape such hardships. The goal of our plan is to make the fishermen and other costal masses aware about signs of an earthquake approaching and how to quickly vacate the place with artefacts and articles important to them and necessary for their survival. The other goal is to ensure that there is minimum loss of lives and property during such crisis.
2. The Planning -

Target Audience – Fishermen and other people living in coastal areas.

Message genre – The message to be delivered is in local as well as in English language so that it is understood by all. The message will contain addresses of helpline centers and other safe areas where they can reach. The message will also contain other risk mitigation strategies and how to take the fastest routes towards safe zones.

Role of Social Media & Communication Channels - It will play an important part to dissipate the information along with that local news channels and radios, social messaging services will also play a huge part in conveying the information and help to increase coverage.

3. Developing the Campaign Strategy – The campaign needs to be directly targeted towards safety of the people. It needs to be understood by the people and all the emergency services need to be advertised and their usage needs to be highlighted. The first step would be to invite people in small groups to gatherings where this information can be provided. Local advertisement campaigns need to be run in market areas and outside commonly visited areas so that coverage of messages is more. The whole campaign must necessarily run in local language and for allowing better understanding. Messages must be conveyed especially to women on how to safeguard their children. One other aspect that needs to be covered is the one on carrying of goods at the time of vacating the place. With all the aspects covered an implementation strategy must be setup.
4. The Implementation Strategy – One needs to ensure that proper message on all aspects must be conveyed and at the same time it should not be a case of message overload. For this reason messages must be rolled out in phases. The whole area must be divided into smaller fragment for proper coverage and ensuring repetition so that proper messages are conveyed without any confusion. The rollout must be in phases so that all areas are covered and no region is left untouched. Personal travels would be required so that all messages are delivered in person and proper understanding is conveyed. Proper travel logs must be maintained so as to ensure that no area is left out from coverage.
5. Evaluation – The best way to evaluate the strategy is to conduct surveys post the deliveries of the message and evaluate how much understanding has been achieved. If found that the understanding is below a threshold level then messages need to be delivered again and the delivery systems would also be reviewed. This is the best evaluation strategy to ensure successful delivery of such messages to the society.