The principles of disaster risk communication

Three core principles cut across all phases of the disaster risk communication loop – collaboration, creativity and learning.

Collaboration

Disaster risk communication is most effective when it includes multiple actors throughout the process.

Tip: Work with practitioners across disciplines to maximise accuracy, relevance, and creativity.

Creativity

Innovative communication can make challenging subjects more accessible, understandable and easier to engage with.

Tip: Find unique ways to overcome barriers to communication and action.

Learning

Assessing the effectiveness of your disaster risk communication requires investing in impact research to identify what works and what does not and why, and making necessary improvements.

Tip: Advance risk communication for your own goals and the wider sector by listening, adapting, and measuring impact.

Resources

Golding, B, World Meteorological Organization and UNDRR (2022), Towards the “perfect” weather warning: Bridging disciplinary gaps through partnership and communication
Met Office, UK Aid (2020), The future of forecasts: Impact-based fore casting for early action
UNDRR (2018), Strategic Approach to Capacity Development for Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Section 4: Stakeholders and Partners
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (n.d.), Inclusive community engagement playbook

We’re always looking for the technology fix to our problems, but it will fail you just when you need it the most because that’s what technology tends to do. We can’t lose sight of the human piece.”

Kelly McKinney

Assistant Vice President Disaster Management

Source: Anni Fordham, Beyond Barriers: The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to investigate the provision of highly accessible information to people impacted by emergencies, Churchill Fellowship 2025.

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