EAHA DM 2.2: Communication in Disaster Situations - Captions

This is a remix of 2.2: Communication in Disaster Situations narrated by Roy William Mayega (Makerere University). This version includes English captions. The original video (without captions) can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c-gzM4Hhbw. Video transcribed by Andrea Matsumoto (University of Michigan). This video is part of a learning module from the East Africa HEALTH Alliance called Public Health Emergency Planning and Management for Districts. The full module and the video transcript can be accessed at http://openmi.ch/disaster-mgmt. Copyright 2009-2019 Roy Mayega (Makerere University). The video, transcript, and module are all shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 3.0 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

(English captions by Andrea Matsumoto, University of Michigan)

Welcome to the session of Communication in
Disaster Situations.

Communication in disaster situations is potentially
a huge challenge to respondents.

Communication itself is a process in which
messages are passed from a sender to a receiver

with constant feedback.

Communication is very important in disaster
situations.

It is important for coordination of the response,
reduction of risk communication, and for prevention

of panic

Before we proceed, it is important that you
read story 2, that is Communication Failure.

What is the moral of this story?

How to communicate better in disaster situations.

It is important to follow the incident command
hierarchy.

In disasters, the press is always looking
for information and papers sell when adverse

events are quoted.

Only the incident command officer or his appointee,
that is, the officer in charge of communications,

should be allowed to give press releases.

The communications officer should search for
facts and be ready with evidence.

These are the Do's in disaster communication.

Establish pre-planned press releases where
all media houses are informed in advance and

invited.

Questions should be allowed to clarify events.

The Incident Command System Officer should
be brief, to the point and where there is

information lacking, that should be admitted.

The Incident Command System (ICS) officer
consults the relevant section heads before

the meeting with press and should allow the
presence of other section heads to clarify

issues in case clarification is necessary.

Do not tell lies; it is better to say you
don't know and you will investigate an issue

than to tell a lie.

There should be a Public Relations (PR) desk
or information desk with a list of victims

or update information if possible.

Such a desk is managed by Public Relations
personnel, counsellors etc.

There should be constant consultation with
the Incident Command System, Search and Rescue,

Pre-hospital care teams, Hospital teams, and
field teams to get the latest information.

Let us consider Scenario 1: Post Election
Violence in Country X.

Country X experienced one of the worst complex
emergencies since independence.

During a commission established to find the
effects, the police force put the number dead

as 1100, the Permanent Secretary for Health
put them at 1102 and the International organisations

put them at 1500.

The press concluded all were confused.

Question: What is your verdict and where do
you think things went wrong in the communication

chain?

What information is needed for communication
in a disaster situation?

You need to know the site of disaster, type of disaster,
time of disaster, and time information was received,

the number of casualties and their flow or
progress,

any visiting VIPs or other important officials,

relevant ministry and what has been done so
far,

assistance required and any important appeals
for blood and other logistics,

response efforts at the time, and their successes
and limitations.

These are 5 Communication Failures that Kill
Operational Success:

Mixed messages from multiple experts,

Information released late,

Paternalistic attitudes (especially towards
the affected communities),

Not countering rumors and myths in real-time
- the grapevine,

Public power struggles and confusion, especially
between intervening agencies.

Let us look at Scenario 2: a flood.

In a recent flooding in one of the countries,
a pressman asked how many people were in need

of blankets.

The medical officer of health answered, 'none'.

Later, it was found that all the 3000 flood
victims needed non-food items like blankets.

Whose responsibility was it to provide the
right information?

These are five communication steps that boost
operational success:

Execute a solid communication plan.

Be the first source for information before
other alternative sources get it.

Express empathy early.

Show competence and expertise.

Show that you are in charge of the situation.

Remain honest and open

Thank you for listening.