Abstract

As part of the annual risk report which calculated the disaster risk for 193 countries across the globe, the World Risk Index indicated that the Philippines has the highest disaster risk, with an index score of 46.82, placing the country in a disaster-prone state, compelling Filipinos to familiarize their ways in and out a certain disaster. During and after disasters, lives are lost, livelihoods are shattered, and people are unable to return to their pre-disaster normal lives– a situation that poses a huge socio-psychological challenge to the victims. The impact is not only for the victims – the victims’ families, friends, the first responders, and the caregivers are also confronted with very undesirable situations. In such context, this study utilized a qualitative-descriptive design with an interview method as the primary approach. It was anchored on identifying the risk communication strategies available for Claverianos and the various risk communication vulnerabilities they experience during disasters, specifically in the context of typhoons and floods in terms of three factors, namely: individual factor, social-structural factor, and situational factor. To attain its goals, this study used a qualitative design with interview as the primary approach. The study was conducted in Claveria, Cagayan. Results of the study show that the available risk communication strategies provided by the MDDRMO Claveria to the Claverianos are risk information dissemination through various media, distribution of preventive evacuation letter/memorandum, roving and responding, availability of an active hotline, and creation of DRRM council. On one hand, as for the risk communication vulnerabilities perceived by Claverianos, it was found out that there is a need to localize the language used in risk communication messages; that there are overlooked use of jargons, implied meaning on warning messages written in bold style, and the risk messages are sometimes too complex (individual); there is the unavailability of risk communication channels/ resources, ineffective and inefficient delivery of risk information and preference on national risk v information sources rather than the local provider (social-structural); and broken communication infrastructures (situational). In conclusion, while the MDDRMO Claveria has implemented various risk communication strategies, it is recommended that these efforts be strengthened by localizing language, simplifying messages, improving delivery mechanisms, and addressing infrastructure and social-structural barriers to ensure more effective and inclusive risk communication.

Full Article

DOI: N/A

References

Boersma, K., Comes, T., Terpstra, T., Strancioglu, I., & Allen, D. (2017). Communicating disaster risk. In K. Poljansek, M. Ferrer, T. De Groeve., & I. Clark (Eds.), Science for disaster risk management 2017: Knowing better and losing less (pp. 387-440). Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2788/688605.

Chowdhury, P., & Haque, C. (2011). Risk perception and knowledge gap between experts and the public: Issues of flood hazards management in Canada. Journal of Environmental Research and Development, 5(4), 1017–1022. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273965300

Coombs, W. (2021). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. (5th ed.). Sage publications.

Craig, R. (1999). Communication theory as a field. Communication Theories, 9(2), 119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00355.x-161.

D. (2021, September 18). Increase in Natural Disasters on a Global Scale by Ten Times. Vision of Humanity. https://www.visionofhumanity.org/global-number-of-natural-disasters-increases-ten-times/

Goerlandt F, Li J, Reniers G. The Landscape of Risk Communication Research: A Scientometric Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 7;17(9):3255. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093255. PMID: 32392734; PMCID: PMC7246897.

Hansson, S., Orru, K., Siibak, A., Bäck, A., Krüger, M., Gabel, F., & Morsut, C. (2020). Communication-related vulnerability to disasters: A heuristic framework. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51(1), 101931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101931

Hansson, S. O. (2005). Seven Myths of Risk. Risk Management, 7(2), 7–17. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3867684

Heydari, S.T., Zarei, L., Sadati, A.K. et al. The effect of risk communication on preventive and protective Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak: mediating role of risk perception. BMC Public Health 21, 54 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10125-5

Infanti J, Sixsmith J, Barry MM, Núñez-Córdoba J, Oroviogoicoechea-Ortega C, Guillén-Grima F. A literature review on effective risk communication for the prevention and control of communicable diseases in Europe. Stockholm: ECDC; 2013.

Kamrin, M. (2014). Risk communication. In P. Wexler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of toxicology (3rd. ed., pp. 174-176). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-386454-3.00430-9

Kasperson, R.E., & Kasperson, J.X. (1996). The social amplification and attenuation of risk. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 545(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716296545001010

Kasperson, R.E., Renn, O., Slovic, P., Brown, H.S., Emel, J., Goble, R., Kasperson, J.X., & Ratick, S. (1988). The social amplification of risk: Aconceptual framework. Risk Analysis, 8(2), 177-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.1988.tb01168.x

Khan S, Asif A, Jaffery AE. Language in a time of COVID-19: literacy Bias ethnic minorities face during COVID-19 from online information in the UK. J Racial Ethnic Health Disparities. 2020;1-7.

Krimsky, S., 2007. Risk communication in the internet age: The rise of disorganized skepticism. Environmental hazards, 7(2), 157- 164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envhaz.2007.05.006

Krüger, M. (2019). Building instead of imposing resilience: Revisiting the relationship between resilience and the state. International Political Sociology, 13(1), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/oly025

Markwart, H., Vitera, J., Lemanski, S., Kietzmann, D., Brasch, M., & Schmidt, S. (2019). Warning messages to modify safety behavior during crisis situations: A virtual reality study. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 38, 101235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101235

National Research Council. (1989). Improving risk communication. National Academy Press.

Ning, L., Niu, J., Bi, X., Yang, C., Liu, Z., Wu, Q., Ning, N., Liang, L., Liu, A., Hao, Y., Gao., L., & Liu, C. (2020). The impacts of knowledge, risk perception, emotion and information on citizens’ protective behaviors during the outbreak of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in China. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1751. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09892-y

Organization, W.H. Communicating risk in public health emergencies: a WHO guideline for emergency risk communication (ERC) policy and practice. Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2017.

Renn, O. (1992). Risk communication: Towards a rational discourse with the public. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 29(3), 465-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3894(92)85047-5

Risk communications. (2023, February 6). https://www.who.int/emergencies/risk-communications

Sato, A. (2015). Understanding effective risk communication in the context of a radiological accident. United Nations University. https://i.unu.edu/media/fgc.unu.edu-en/page/922/FGC-WP-7.pdf

Sjoberg, L., Moen, B. & Rundmo, T. (2004). Explaining risk perception. An evaluation of the psychometric paradigm in risk perception research. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, C Rotunde Publikasjoner. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Explaining-risk-perception.-An-evaluation-of-the-Moen/aaee682574d009ace0a3db92685289ee4f8436ff

Shulman HC, Bullock OM. Don’t dumb it down: the effects of jargon in COVID-19 crisis communication. PLoS One. 2020;15(10):e0239524. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239524.

Treurniet, W., Messemaker, M., Wolbers, J.J, Boersma, F.K, (2015). Shaping the societal impact of emergencies: Striking a balance between control and cooperation. International Journal of Emergency Services 4(1), 129-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJES-06-2014-0007

Zhang L, Chen K, Jiang H, Zhao J. How the health rumor misleads People’s perception in a public health emergency: lessons from a purchase craze during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(19):7213. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197213.