What are some Key Resources I could read to learn more?
- A Guide to Engaging in Disaster Recovery
- World Bank Guide: Communication During Disaster Recovery
- Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Local Governments (Pages 29-38)
What are the benefits of Public Engagement?
There are many benefits including:
- Community leaders have the opportunity to become listeners, conveners, and curious learners. However, to do this well, public agencies need to be open, thoughtful, deliberate, and humble as they design the process.
- Public engagement delivers transparent decisions. This allows community members to both share their ideas and have a clear understanding of what’s happening, why it is happening, and when it will happen. The by-product is trust and confidence in the government.
- Public engagement forges a deep and renewed commitment to the community’s recovery mission as it develops new capacities and implements the details of public interests.
What is a two-way communication approach?
Two-way communication always includes feedback from the receiver to the sender and lets the sender know the message has been received accurately. It is recommend to utilize “two-way” communications approaches and activities that are available in English and Spanish, such as:
- Individual meetings to gather targeted input on proposed policies and programs.
- Assistance centers where citizens and government representatives can communicate about funding applications, permitting, and other recovery activities.
- The creation of community leadership teams to advise recovery policymakers.
- Forums and charrettes to obtain vision and direction from the public and to build community support for plans and actions.
- Meetings to more systematically involve citizens in recovery decision-making.
- Ensure all activities are accessible to community members with functional and access needs, provide translations and translators for non-English speaking community members, and sign language interpreters for community members with hearing impairments (See Activity 1).
What are some best practices for engaging frontline community members?
Often, frontline community members experience the worst impacts of disaster/emergency events and have contributed the least to the problem. Engaging with frontline community members requires dedicated resources and time, a commitment to trust-building, and support from community “gatekeepers” - individuals that have long-established roles and trust in the communities already. Long-term recovery planning can provide an opportunity to address historical inequities using innovative solutions that help create a more sustainable, equitable, and just future for all. Listen to what people say. Ask about their hopes and dreams. Consider asking the following questions:
- What are the key issues facing your community related to the ability to recover from the disaster?
- What kind of community do you want to be in the next five, ten, or fifteen years?
- What kind of community would make a good home for our children and grandchildren? What kind of community would you be proud to share with visitors?
- What would your community look like if it were more resilient and more dynamic?
- What kind of mitigation actions are needed to make your community more resilient?
- What capacities are needed to make your community more economically, socially, and culturally vibrant?
- What opportunities exist to modernize governance, attract investment, improve infrastructure, and other enhancements, as a result of the resources the disaster event has made available, and the conditions that exist as a result of damages?
- What must be built or created to support the community's vision and values?
- What actions can be taken to ensure that the process hears from all community stakeholders?
Why is communicating with the public in the recovery phase important?
Timely, consistent, and factual communication goals regarding recovery and reconstruction should be a top priority. Residents and business owners are often unfamiliar with the recovery services available after a disaster. Misinformation can spread quickly when there is a lack of information coming from a reliable source.
Why should I create a post-disaster communication strategy for my community?
Communities should develop a post-disaster communication strategy that centralizes communication efforts and targets the full range of constituencies. It should also be closely linked with an information management strategy—collection, integration, and dissemination of recovery information—that includes recovery milestones and progress as well as any adjustments made to the recovery plan or implementation strategies. Elements of the strategy should include:
- The identification of an External Affairs / Public Information Officer assigned this responsibility is an important part of any good state recovery plan.
- Utilizing multiple forms of media (e.g., newspapers, internet, television, radio, social media) based on intended audiences.
- Conveying a common message across the assistance network tied to agreed-upon elements of the state recovery plan.
- Developing an approach to share information and engage in an ongoing dialogue with individuals and organizations that are external to the recovery committee, including the development of a venue to solicit feedback and engage in plan updates.
It can be helpful to keep in mind the following communication goals for disaster recovery (See pages 56-59).
- Provide the public with clear and unambiguous instructions.
- Dispel misinformation and rumors.
- Instill civic responsibility and community stewardship.
- Provide timely updates and helpful information to the public.
- Ensure inclusion of all community members.
What are five critical assumptions for a successful communications strategy?
Customer focus: Understand what information your customers and your partners need and build communication mechanisms that deliver this information in a timely and accurate fashion.
Leadership commitment: The leader of the recovery operations must be committed to effective communications and must participate fully in the communications process.
Inclusion of communications in planning and operations: Communications specialists must be involved in all recovery planning and operations to ensure that communicating timely and accurate information is considered when action decisions are being considered.
Situational awareness: Effective communication is based on the timely collection, analysis, and dissemination of information from the disaster area in accordance with basic principles of effective communications, such as transparency and truthfulness.
Media partnership: Traditional media outlets (i.e., television, radio, the Internet, and newspapers) and social media outlets (i.e., Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter) are the most effective means for communicating timely and accurate information to the largest number of people. A partnership with the media involves understanding the needs of the media and employing trained staff who work directly with the media to get information to the public. Both traditional media and social media may also serve as information sources for recovery managers.
What are the most used social media platforms in disasters?
Two social media sites, Facebook and Twitter, dominate the competition in terms of their use as news distributors, especially during disasters. A 2015 Pew Foundation study found “that clear majorities of Twitter (63%) and Facebook users (63%) now say each platform serves as a source for news about events and issues outside the realm of friends and family. That share has increased substantially from 2013 when about half of the users (52% of Twitter users, 47% of Facebook users) said they got news from the social platforms.”
Great job!
You have completed Step 4.