Expert pieces

Effective disaster risk communication goes beyond sharing information—it influences decisions and saves lives.

In this section, experts share lessons from the field, unpack communication challenges and offer practical insights to improve how risk messages reach and resonate with people at risk.

Contents of Planning disaster risk communication

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Telephone booth in a flooded street during the October 2010 flooding of Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand.
Blog
Shivangi Chavdaa
Why early warnings don’t always lead to early action: The missing link of public engagement
Too often, early warning systems are built as technical tools, not community systems. They are driven by data, forecasts, and algorithms - but they fail to ask: will people understand and act on this?
Women planting mangrove trees in Sathkhira, Bangladesh on January 6, 2021.
Blog
Md. Mahbub Ul Hassan Sharan
From knowing to doing: closing the climate adaptation gap
A recent study shows 89% of people are aware of climate change, yet over 80% still take no action. Why does awareness fail to become resilience?
Graphic drawing communication with a thought
Blog
Anni Fordham
Beyond barriers: best practice tips for translating emergency information
When emergencies strike, clear communication saves lives. Yet, accessing critical information remains challenging for many culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
A lone fisherman on the east coast of Barbados during COVID-19 shutdown.
Blog
Christal Benjamin
Risk communication for early action in Barbados: Findings, learnings and opportunities for scale
There is an urgent need to scale up and integrate good practices for early warning and early action in Barbados, and other Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean and around the world.
Busy streets of Kingston Jamaica
Blog
Nicole West-Hayles
Reducing risk-taking in disasters: Practical solutions for safer choices
When extreme weather events strike, why do some people disregard official warnings and take apparently unnecessary risks?
Art collage representing conflict between fake news and fact communication
Blog
Qi Zhao Jan-Willem van Prooijen Giuliana Spadaro
Conspiracy! Why lack of capacity will make one believe just about anything about disasters…
New study suggests that countries with high natural hazard risk do not necessarily have to expect excessive conspiracy theories among the population. Fostering well-developed coping capacities could lower conspiracy belief levels effectively.
Watercolor vector illustration of blue sky and clouds
Blog
Meg Parsons
Harnessing creativity to build resilience: An artistic toolkit for disaster risk reduction practitioners
Community engagement is just as important as research and policymaking for successful efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change and reduce disaster risks. Discover the climate resilience toolkit that includes a range of art activities.
Creative design with human hands holding a speech bubble
Interview
How social listening and public trust can reduce heatwave and wildfire risks
PreventionWeb spoke to Miguel Telo de Arriaga, Head of the Division of Literacy, Health and Well-being at Portugal’s Directorate-General of Health to learn more about the country’s approach to risk communication, and how this is applied to reduce risks.
Heat Wave, Montreal
Blog
Mami Mizutori
Time to say goodbye to “natural” disasters
One can reasonably argue that there is no such thing as a natural disaster despite the widespread use of the term in the media, by UN agencies, NGOs and many others.
Picture of three people, a patient in a wheelchair, a doctor and one more person exiting a hospital.
Blog
Sapana Basnet Bista, PhD Researcher/Research Associate, Liverpool John Moores University
COVID-19: Four recommendations for inclusive risk communication
Risk communication should aim to ease feelings of fear and panic among the affected population, not exacerbate them.