September 2008 Vol. 13 Issue 3
After an emergency, information is top need
Q&A with Steve Cain

After floods, tornadoes, and straight-line winds caused a great deal of damage across the state, many Purdue Extension staff had questions about what to do in the aftermath of such emergencies. One question was typical:

Question: What is Purdue Extension’s role in disaster and how do we know what to communicate?

Answer: The number one need after a disaster is information.

Information almost always ranks ahead of other needs such as water, medicine, food, and shelter in terms of immediacy. When I teach the state’s Public Information Officer course, I remind responders of that. People need to know what to do to save themselves, save others, and protect property. That’s information.

How does Purdue Extension fit into that scenario?

In 2005, the Purdue Extension Emergency Management Education Team (EMET) issued suggestions for Purdue Extension’s role: provide education during all phases of disaster management. Communicating information in all phases of a disaster is essential, but I will be specifically examining response and recovery communication in this article.

Response communication

Immediately after a disaster, the immediate need is on response. If we work with groups in the disaster business — such as emergency management officials, health department officials, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, police, and United Way — to plan messages and methods to communicate, you are playing an educational role in the response effort.

Here are some steps you can take to work with these groups to deliver timely, relevant information during the response phase:

  • Work with groups in the disaster business to improve and coordinate messages.
  • Make sure critical information gets out to all the people who need it and in a way they can use it.
  • Always provide mobilizing information. This is the kind of information that lets people know what they should do — to evacuate, stay in place, drink the water, not drink the water, or anything else.
  • Look for ways to assist responders with this educational information. For example, when it floods, the Purdue Extension First Steps to Flood Recovery publication (ACS-101, available from The Education Store,
    www.extension.purdue.edu/store) is probably the nation’s best example of an education tool people can use immediately after a flood. The publication is designed to provide readers answers to the most immediate recovery questions.
  • Be alert for and correct any misinformation. People at all levels can and will misinterpret information. Good communication includes monitoring how people use information and clearing up misunderstandings. When you see inaccurate information, ask: Who is the source? What damage might the misinformation cause? What are the resources to communicate the correct information?

Working with responders, Purdue Extension can help form messages and find ways to get that information out. This will not always be easy, and it often depends on the situation.

For that reason, I am a resource to Purdue Extension educators 24/7 and most of the 365 days because disasters don’t happen when it’s convenient. When most disasters strike, I will send out contact information specific to the situation.

Recovery communication

Soon after a disaster, efforts will move from response to recovery.

At this stage, people often lose interest, although neighbors may still be affected. A classic example of this was that motorcyclists were touring southern Indiana within weeks of the June floods on roads that were not safe. The message to deliver then was clear: stay off these roads.

During the recovery stage, here are some things to remember:

  • Find ways to continue engaging audiences.
  • Marginalized audiences become frustrated and may not trust any source of information. At this point, the community should form a long-term recovery committee or use existing groups, such as Community Organizations Active in Disaster. Such groups can work through the difficult task of developing messages that are appropriate to the situation. Staying in touch with those groups (1) helps you identify the community’s needs, (2) helps identify the most important messages and most effective ways to communicate them, and (3) provides several partners for getting the message out.
  • Build coalitions that truly represent the community and are prepared to take appropriate information to everyone.
  • Encourage people to share information with others who might not have received or understood the recovery information.

When a disaster happens, information is critical.

Purdue Extension has helpful information on the Disaster and Emergency Management Web site.

Steve Cain, cain@purdue.edu

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