Learning the Communication Lessons of the Port-Au-Prince Earthquake Relief Effort

Abstract

This article examines communication management issues of emergency aid following natural disasters. Ten aid workers involved in the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake relief were interviewed and surveyed while they were still “in the field” to determine their understanding of the role of communication in the relief effort. The analysis was framed using the three-stage process (pre-disaster, response, post-disaster). Analysis of their responses showed that there are still chronic problems in each of the stages. The importance of enhancing communication elements in the pre-disaster phase was a strong finding. In the response stage, the differential role of various media, including old technologies in poor regions, emerged as an issue. Organizational factors such as high staff turnover were also seen as negatively affecting communication efficacy. An important finding about the post-disaster stage is the importance of debriefing.

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