1. Flood Communication from the Global Perspective
Workshop on Flood Communication and Information Exchange
in the Dniester River Basin
Lviv, Ukraine, May 2013

2. Presentation outline What is Communication? Six Ws Questions: Who?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Examples
Challenges and Conclusions

3. Interactional Communication Model (Schramm, 1954)
What is Communication?
Interactional Communication Model (Schramm, 1954)
Feedback
Field of experience
Channels and noises, some of which can act as filters (i.e. media)
Non linear process, but a cycle process
N.B. For ANY kind of communication, flood communication included

4. Six Ws Questions about Flood Communication
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

5. Six Ws Questions: Who? Main partners in Flood Communication:
Flood managers
Population
Media
Experts
(i.e. social and
behavioural experts)
Underline « partners »: cooperative approach among actors involved
Media: mention distinction between traditional (one-to-many)/new (many-to-many and two-ways communication) mass media

6. Six Ws Questions: What? Information to be included Location Time
Advice on behaviour
Explanations about warning level scales
Data, especially real-time data
Uncertainty
Data: real-time data are essential during the occurrence of a flooding event
Uncertainty: diverging opinions about the necessity to communicate it (and how) or not

7. Six Ws Questions: When? FC as an ongoing activity
Before flood events: Prevention
Education of the population
Training of staff
During flood events: Warning
Real-time data
Advice on what to do/not to do
After flood events: Relief
Relief measures and compensations
Feedback
Future strategies
Education of the population:
awareness raising
Preparedness
Training of staff
Routine situation
Crisis situation
During flood events: Warning: Clear and timely statements about what to do/not to do and when (evacuation) to the population. Staff should already be prepared!
Future strategies: « come full circle » = back to prevention

8. Six Ws Questions: Where?
FC as a multiscale activity
Regional level
Cross-border exchange of information
Common training
Coordination
National level
Special attention to remote areas
Local level
Interaction with people directly affected
Regional level: especially in transboundary river basin
National level: every state develops its own FC Strategy according to its needs and laws.
Local level, Interaction with people directly affected:
value of local information for prevention + feedback on past strategies
Local information are more accurate
Communication and credibility can be enhanced if information comes from locals

9. Risk perception can differ from objective risk
Six Ws Questions: Why?
Effectiveness of Flood Management is closely related to Risk Perception
“Intuitive risk judgments of individuals and social groups in the context of limited and uncertain information” (Slovic, 1987)
Risk perception can differ from objective risk
In other words, the way in which a stakeholder views a risk, based on a set of values or concerns.
Risk perception depends on the stakeholder's needs, issues and knowledge and from psychological, social and other cultural factors.

10. Social Amplification of Risk Framework
Six Ws Questions: Why?
Social Amplification of Risk Framework
Filters in the communication chain of risk events amplify or attenuate their perception, in turn causing all kinds of secondary social, political, and economic consequences on perception of a more consistent risk.
Factors influencing amplification or attenuation of risk:
Personal characteristics
Situational factors
Risk characteristics
Hazards and events associated with relatively low statistical risks (such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy) can become the center of social and political controversy (risk amplification) while other, potentially more serious dangers receive comparatively little attention (risk attenuation)
Filters: all links in the communication chain (individuals, groups, media, etc.) contain filters, such as the psychological, social and other cultural factors they bring with them.
Personal characteristics: education, gender, age, being a parent, anxiety, etc.
Situational factors: event not under control of the individual, past experience, lack of confidence in the authorities, great media attention, inadequate resources, nonvoluntary exposure, contradictory scientific opinions, etc.
Risk characteristics: immediate threat, direct health consequences, low probability of danger, unknown new danger, fear arousing danger, lots of mortal cases, etc.
Consequences: enduring mental perceptions, impacts on business sales, and change in residential property values, changes in training and education, or social disorder.

11. Six Ws Questions: How? Development of a Communication Strategy
Communication Plan
Objectives
Target audience and its perceptions and needs
Means and technology
Dissemination Plan
Timing and Frequency
Horizontal Coordination
Vertical Coordination
Ex-post Evaluation
Process evaluation
Impact evaluation
Communication Plan
Objectives: specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant and time-focused
Target audience and its perceptions and needs: collaboration with social and behavioral experts and social surveys
Means and technology:
According to national/regional information culture and the flood-related experience of the general public
traditional mass media (Newspaper, Radio, TV, telephone, Mobile phone, public broadcasts in the street), new mass media (website, social network, apps)
Dissemination Plan
Horizontal coordination: among all stakeholders (partners), especially with media
Vertical coordination: regional (cross border exchange), national, local level.
Ex-post Evaluation
Process evaluation: evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of implementation activities, i.e. expenditure, staff resources, respect of schedule
Impact evaluation: whether original objectives have been met. Feedback from partners, especially public!

12. Six Ws Questions: How? Features of an effective message
Be intelligible
Be positive
Be clear on uncertainties
Be inclusive
Be intelligible:
Do not use jargon and explain the meaning of specific words
Do not use acronyms
Be positive:
Do not use threatening words (ex. catastrophe)
Express impacts and probabilities in positive terms (i.e. number of survivors instead of number of casualties)
Be clear on uncertainties: to sound more certain than the data makes you lose trust and credibility
Be inclusive:
If people are involved, they better understand problems, co-analyse possible solutions and help in drawing conclusions.
translation into other (local) languages

13. Examples Negative Genova, Italy, 4 November 2011
6 victims, due to inadequate preparedness and wrong communication
Genova: case of flash flood
Serena Costa (19 yrs old), died while bringing her brother home from school.
The school called parents, telling them to come and pick their children up. Her mother could not leave her workplace and asked her to do it.
She was swept away by the water and mudslide

14. Positive www.vigicrues.gouv.fr,
Vigicrues: Information sur la vigilance "crues ", French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy
National and local information
Interactive map
Legend
Maximum level of alert
Advice on behaviour
Link to "Carte de vigilance de Météo-France"

16. Serbian Dept. of the Interior’s brochure
Public education
Synthetic information
Suitable for different
kinds of public
What to do/not to do
Public education: prevention (before floods)
Use of images: consider children and illitterates
Available at: prezentacije.mup.gov.rs/svs/HTML/Vanredne%20situacije_Cirilica_FINAL.pdf

18. Flood Patrol, Smartphone App,
Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH)
Real-time data and warnings
Crowdsourcing
Interactive map
Legend
Philippines’ Government and Warning Agencies
Inclusive and interactive

19. Discover Floods, Booklet APFM and Project WET’s KIDs Activity
Addressed to children
Use of images and colours
Simple language
Educational games and activities
Available at:

20. Challenges and Conclusions
Statutory liability
Inclusiveness and coordination
Adaptation to the audience
Statutory liability
Ex. L’Aquila: a communication error became a manslaughter conviction. All seven members of the Commissione Grandi Rischi charged of giving wrong, uncomplete and contradictory information.
Inclusiveness and coordination
Vertical (among regional, national, local levels)
Horizontal (among different experts, i.e. media)
Adaptation to the audience: its needs and language

21. Thank you for your attention!