Disaster risk communications library

This guidance note outlines practical approaches to strengthening information integrity within risk communication–before, during, and after disasters. Preparing for and managing information risks is an integral part of disaster risk reduction efforts.

A survey of 140 Indonesian operational meteorologists finds that terminology ambiguity and reliance on weather station data hinder heat warning dissemination. Past successful warnings and a liberal warning philosophy strongly influence warning decisions.

Two behavioural experiments in China show that government-issued disaster warnings generate higher trust than AI warnings. Consistent government-AI messages increase trust and protective intentions, while conflicting warnings increase anticipated regret.

This study investigates the complex interplay between local knowledge, awareness, perception, and preparedness among residents of Bogura City, Bangladesh, in the context of earthquake risk.

This toolkit examines how mis- and disinformation during extreme weather can undermine disaster response, offering practical guidance to build information resilience before, during and after crises.

There were two “systems” that warned people about the impending danger that day: one built by the state relying on sensors and SMS messages, the other relying on community-based ties. Only the second worked reliably.

This study sets out to examine how vernacular water-based settlements develop constructive and spatial responses to flood-related hazards, and what recurring combinations of responses can be identified across distinct hydro-climatic contexts.

This study tests a survey tool for identifying information voids during climate emergencies, showing how gaps in information quantity, quality, source and channel can affect disaster communication.

Bosai is a Japanese concept that encompasses all stages of disaster management. In a country where natural hazards are a frequent threat, understanding bosai is one of the most practical ways for individuals to protect themselves and those around them.

Social media conspiracy theorists quickly pinned the blame on an Alaskan research project, claiming the deadly wall of water and debris was a "man-made disaster." AFP has repeatedly debunked claims that the HAARP is to blame for extreme weather events.

Study uses the 2020 Gjerdrum landslide as a natural experiment to examine how climate risk salience affects housing markets. Exposed properties experienced temporary price declines of 1–1.5 per cent, while new residential development in risk zones fell.

Social media can quickly convey conditions in disaster-hit areas, helping people confirm others' safety, request rescues and share information such as shelter locations and needed supplies. But it can spread false information just as quickly.

Machine-learning techniques could help provide more warning. By detecting subtle changes in the continuous vibrations around a volcano, they can potentially identify signs of an impending eruption hours beforehand.

This article explains how misinformation during volcanic eruptions can distort public understanding of risk, urging clearer language, verified images and trusted scientific sources during crises

This article reports public reactions to a UK emergency phone alert on wildfire risk, highlighting concerns over alert fatigue, unclear guidance and the need for effective crisis communication.

This article examines hosepipe bans as everyday climate adaptation measures, showing how they can make climate risks tangible while also provoking resistance if seen as unfair or poorly explained

Claims that a deadly quake was artificial and Hiroshima was not hit by an atomic bomb have alarmed experts tracking Japan’s online spaces

This study shows that perceived false flood alarms can reduce evacuation behaviour, while positive emotional responses to false alarms may help maintain protective action during future warnings.

This paper describes eighteen misconceptions grouped in six themes (seismology, volcanoes and climate, systems and structures, volcanic hazards, timescales, photographs and footage) commonly encountered by volcanologists

A major climate adaptation programme is helping Egypt strengthen coastal resilience in the Nile Delta through nature-based coastal protection, climate-informed planning, coastal monitoring systems and integrated coastal zone management.

This study evaluates a music-based hurricane preparedness video in the Caribbean, finding that it can increase self-efficacy, trust and positive emotions alongside preparedness intentions.

This study examines how Canadian university emergency websites communicate mental health preparedness, finding that physical safety guidance is far more visible than mental health support.

Climate change arrived this summer for the beloved TV characters and landscapes of Sesame Street, in a special episode where Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and friends have to get ready for extreme weather.

Smartphones have become part of just about everyone’s emergency infrastructure. We use them to receive warnings, follow evacuation routes and road closures, locate shelters, contact family and track rapidly changing conditions.

Most wildfires started by humans are still being called "wild", placing the fire outside human society. It implies there was no spark – and certainly no humans, and fails to widen the cause to include climate change, calling for new naming conventions.

Journalists, editors, disaster management authorities and regional partners gathered in N'Djamena from 27–29 July for a regional workshop aimed at strengthening climate reporting and media resilience across one of Africa's most vulnerable regions.

Wildfire misinformation spreads fastest in the hours right after a fire breaks out — checking a claim against a credible source before sharing it is the simplest way to slow it down.

The podcast explores the ACACIA Project and how new sub‑seasonal forecasts, local forecasters and community planning (EVCA) come together to reduce the impacts of cyclones and floods in Madagascar.

The research examines the “risk perception gap,” or the difference between climate-related mortality estimates and public perceptions of climate risk, across U.S. counties.

Climate in Common is a communications toolkit that will help groups connect with working class people. It gives campaigners, civil society organizations and policymakers ten practical tools for building working class engagement with climate policy.

Between 2023 and 2024, a CDKN-supported initiative in the Lawra and Nandom districts explored how women's climate knowledge could be amplified through culturally familiar communication channels.

More than 50% of Brits say they are more fearful for what’s to come in the future, and more than 48% feel more anxious about climate change, in a summer where some parts of the UK enter their fourth heat wave today.

The authors conclude that scientific realism and engaging storytelling are not mutually exclusive, pointing to documentaries as examples that successfully capture the suspense of prolonged unrest, uncertainty, and human decision-making.

The issue is how to avoid readers assuming that a fire is the whole story, when the event is, just the moment at which a long process becomes attention grabbing. When reporting stops there, it is accurate about the day but misleading about the decade.

Disaster communications experts discuss how maintaining reliable communications for first responders is essential during emergencies, and how every disaster demands flexibility, coordination and close partnerships to keep response efforts connected.

Whether the subject is violence against women, mental health, toxicity on our coasts, or perhaps now bird flu, we must ensure the duty of care to audiences keeps pace with the realities being reported.

This report examines climate disinformation during 2026 heatwaves and wildfires, showing how recurring false narratives on social media undermined public understanding of extreme weather risks.

Five South American countries are joining forces under a new regional forecasting programme to improve severe weather warnings across the La Plata Basin.

Chiefs in Ontario say they were left to self-evacuate before homes burned to ground, after being told there was no imminent threat.

This study examines gaps in weather and climate information for hard-to-reach communities, proposing an information supply chain framework to improve equitable warning reach and response.

This study assesses cell broadcast alert messages in France, showing gaps between recommended practice and real use, and highlighting how clearer, more complete message content can improve public warning and protective action.

Most emergency alerts and warnings are not provided in languages spoken by Indigenous peoples, placing them at greater risk during fires, floods, and other disasters.

This study examines how rainfall forecast errors during Typhoon Khanun shaped public emotions online, showing that underestimated and overestimated forecasts can increase anxiety, confusion and fatigue in risk communication.

This article examines emergency communication in the Pacific, highlighting how national broadcasters are relied on during disasters but often lack the resources, infrastructure and formal support needed to stay on air.

This study examines how cultural worldviews shape support for climate and biodiversity policies in Japan, finding that biodiversity conservation may face less worldview-driven resistance than climate action.

Forest fires will continue, meaning we need ongoing investment in prevention, land management and firefighting resources. But we also need to pay more attention to human behaviour.

This briefing warns that climate disinformation is spreading through European media and online platforms, undermining public trust, distorting debate on climate action and highlighting the need for stronger policy and regulatory responses.

This operational guidance provides direction for designing and implementing people-centred, inclusive multi-hazard early warning systems that effectively reach and protect mobile populations and other groups affected by changing locations or circumstances