Using a table-top exercise to identify communication-related vulnerability to disasters

This paper explores how scenario-based table-top exercises can be used as part of vulnerability assessment to systematically identify barriers to disaster communication that may put people at risk. The authors conducted a table-top exercise with 25 disaster risk management practitioners in Estonia, using a complex crisis scenario involving a prolonged electricity outage, severe winter weather, disruption of vital services, and the spread of harmful false information. Participants worked through structured questionnaires, vulnerability assessment tables, and SWOT/TOWS analyses to identify vulnerable groups, communication barriers, and institutional capacity gaps.

The exercise identified barriers to accessing, understanding, and reacting to crisis information. Participants highlighted problems such as inaccessible or incomplete databases, lack of pre-existing communication arrangements, language barriers, infrastructure failures, exposure to misinformation, and limited local resources. The results suggest that the proposed table-top exercise format helps to foresee potential barriers to accessing crisis information and uncover capacity gaps within authorities responsible for communication management during disasters. The authors conclude that such exercises can improve risk and crisis communication preparedness and support the development of mitigation, preparedness, and response measures