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Planning disaster risk communication to support early warning and early action

Disaster Risk Communication Hub
Simple guidance and practical tips for practitioners

The risk communication hub aims to support practitioners - from any sector - who are planning public risk communication strategies with the general public. The guidance will help maximise investments in risk communication by:

  • Designing communication that reflects behavioural science and informed decision-making among populations.
  • Collaborating with practitioners across disciplines to prepare effective public communication strategies and content.

On this page

Introduction

Disaster risk communication, early warning and early action. Natural hazards are becoming
more intense and more frequent because of climate change. At the same time, people are
increasingly exposed to hazards because of increased urbanisation in hazard-prone areas.
More than half the global population lives in cities – and 2.5 billion people are likely to join
them by 2050. Urban dwellers’ vulnerability to hazards is compounded by poverty and
inequality, which limits people’s ability to invest in preparedness measures and resilient
infrastructures.

Collage with human hands shaking based on the teamwork concept.
Why disaster risk communication?
Media and communication can not only disseminate early warnings, but also prompt informed dialogue and shift how people think, feel and act in response.
The process
BBC Media Action recommends a basic process to guide disaster risk communication, with four phases and related activities that circulate in a continuing loop.
The principles
Three cross-cutting principles apply across this process: collaboration with actors from different sectors, creativity to overcome challenges, and learning for consistent advancement.
What if disaster communication started before the disaster?

The four phases of disaster risk communication

The disaster risk communication ‘loop’ proposed is a dynamic process, not a linear one.
You might end up moving back and forth between the different segments. For example,
after understanding a problem and starting to plan, you may need more information to
inform your plan. Likewise, once your communication activities have started (in Do), you
may need to fine-tune your objectives, backing up to ‘Plan’.

View the table of contents.

The disaster risk communication loop

The disaster risk communication ‘loop’

ands pulls a thread from a tangled ball. Concept of problem solving and eliminating uncertainty.
1. Understand
Take time to assess the people, problems and context related to your topic – including the local media and communication context.
Collage with a woman's hand holding a light bulb. The collage is based on the study and education concept.
2. Plan
Consider exactly what you aim to achieve with your communication, how it will happen, and why you think it will work.
Collage with hands holding speech bubbles based on the concept of communication.
3. Do
Communicate in ways that reach and resonate with diverse audiences and support your specific aims.
Collage on the checklist concept
4. Improve
Learn from what worked and what did not, over the short-term and longer-term.

Main publications

This hub draws from the comprehensive guidelines presented in the Pocket guide and Guide for essential research publications, produced by BBC Media Action in partnership with UNDRR, which offer key insights into risk communication strategies. Access and download the documents below.

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Collage on the study and education concept. Hand with floating book.
Cover
Pocket guide
The aim of this guide is to provide simply guidance and practical tips for practitioners planning effective disaster risk communication strategies that support early warning and early action.
Cover
Guide for essential research
This practical guide aims to help you gather essential research data to underpin effective and relevant disaster risk communication plans to support early warning and early action.
GAR logo
GAR2022: Our world at risk
This report explores how governance systems can evolve to better address the systemic risks of the future. It offers valuable recommendations for designing systems that consider how human minds make decisions about risk.

Case studies

Explore a series of real-world case studies that highlight successful risk communication practices in diverse contexts. These examples offer valuable lessons for practitioners, illustrating how tailored communication approaches can lead to better outcomes in risk awareness and action.

How can we empower at-risk communities to make informed decisions and reduce disaster risks?
Uploaded on
Case study
Asia
Tales of disaster series, No Strings International
This project aimed to reduce vulnerability in at-risk children and young people in South East Asia by increasing their understanding of key issues contributing to risk around a series of natural hazards.
  • No Strings International
Case study
India
Petpuja
The aim of this project was around child nutrition, but the approach used to reaching remote audiences in 'media dark' areas is relevant to others attempting the same on issues of DRR.
  • BBC Media Action
Case study
Ethiopia
Walle Damma (a honey-seeking bird) and Genna Bona (winter into summer)
This project aimed to help people understand and trust modern weather forecasts in a way that would support better-informed decision-making for more resilient farming and pastoralism.
  • BBC Media Action
View all case studies

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.

Uploaded on
Shinjuku area in Tokyo, full of shopping malls, electrical appliance stores, fashion stores, second-hand goods, and restaurants. It is the largest night entertainment area in Japan
Blog
Patrick Cadwell
Japan’s changing DRR policy discourse and what it means for inclusion
The last two decades in Japan reveal a steady increase in the language of inclusion, and a more detailed consideration of how to engage foreign nationals in DRR. There is a lot of good to take away from this more inclusive DRR policy in Japan.
A group of people walk trought the heat along the Makeni highway in Sierra Leone
Blog
Pious Mannah
Translating risk into local languages: lessons from Sierra Leone
The blog highlights how overcoming language and literacy barriers through translation, audio tools and gamified learning has strengthened inclusive disaster risk communication and community resilience in Sierra Leone.
A man is shooting videos at the waterfront of Heng Fa Chuen on the east of Hong Kong Island when rough waves hit the promenade during Severe Typhoon Mangkhut's strike in 2018.
Blog
Ilan Kelman
Is nature angry with us?
To avoid disasters, our actions ought to be about cooperating and living with nature – and with each other – without harm, including without harming ourselves. We should recognise and implement the worldviews that humanity and nature are intertwined.
View all expert pieces

Further resources

Dive deeper into risk communication with curated content collections from PreventionWeb, offering up-to-date research, tools, and best practices. These resources support professionals with the latest knowledge and techniques to enhance their risk communication efforts.

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Concept of colourful speech bubbles
Risk communication
Resources to help communications professionals develop effective strategies and craft compelling content about disaster risk.
Letters of scrable
The DRR Glossary
Get to know the key terms of disaster risk reduction and hazards that might cause disasters.
UNDRR
About PreventionWeb
PreventionWeb is the global knowledge sharing platform for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience.

Hazards do not have to turn into disasters.

To break the vicious cycle of "Disaster, respond, recover, repeat.", we need a better understanding of disaster risk, in all its dimensions.