2025, Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part B

Author(s): Rohit Ganguly

Abstract: Communicating risk has been widely accepted as a key strategy in mitigating the the impact of disasters. The concepts and practices of risk communication have been evolving since the 1980s due to the complexity and diversity of risk, developments in the communication sciences, and the complex nature of stakeholders and media. Failure to communicate risk may lead to an increase in the number of fatalities in future events. In this study, disaster risk communication (DRC) is proposed based on Lasswell's communication model and seen as an interactive process of exchanging information and opinions about risk among individuals, groups, and institutions to help them reduce uncertainty and undertake appropriate decisions and actions in the event of disaster. This study also describes the case study of the Smong story, which was successfully used to convey a simple tsunami risk message and help people make appropriate decisions, undertake appropriate actions, and save lives during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It involves multiple factors, such as messages about the nature of risk and other messages, not strictly about risk, that express concerns, opinions, or reactions to risk or to legal or institutional arrangements for risk management in strengthening community preparedness before, during, and after disasters. Effective risk communication is essential for disaster risk management. It is necessary to understand the present contextual factors to select appropriate strategies to enhance risk communication. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the factors that create challenges for risk communication in Iran. Using a qualitative methodology, this research included 25 managers, rescuers, and event survivors with prior experience responding to disasters. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Data analysis resulted in the identification of four categories and eleven subcategories related to the factors that facilitated the formation of challenging risk communication. These categories include distrust (distrust in public warnings, public distrust in relief organizations), ineffective information dissemination (ineffective informing authority, irresponsible dissemination of information, negligence in information transparency), insufficient educational communication (limited training capacity, universal education restriction, extensive educational infrastructure), and uncertain warning messages (uncertain content of warning messages, alert channels diversity, delayed warning messages). Multiple contextual elements thus contribute to ineffectual risk communication, the most significant of which is diminished public confidence in relief organizations. Identifying these factors provides a basis for relief organizations to anticipate and plan long-term strategies to improve communication between relief organizations and the public, thereby increasing the preparedness of individuals for disaster response.

DOI: 10.22271/multi.2025.v7.i1b.569

Pages: 62-67 | Views: 66 | Downloads: 26

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