Real Risk

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HILE TEACHING A

disaster risk communications class at

the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand, a

group of public and private mitigation projects managers

from around the world shared stories of the challenges they faced

in their high risk communities. Repeatedly, they described cultural

roadblocks, successful and unsuccessful attempts to encourage the

implementation of innovative risk reduction approaches, and the

need for personalized, innovative approaches to communicate

natural hazard risks and promote unfamiliar mitigation techniques.

The class of experienced professionals told a universal story of how

high-risk communities differ dramatically in cultural values, atti-

tudes towards change, and the ability to listen, understand,

personalize and implement risk reduction messages.

Since the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and Hurricane

Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans and surrounding communi-

ties, risk communicators and mitigation project managers have

begun to more clearly realize the critical roles played by culture,

psychology, spiritual traditions and individualized communication

approaches in the implementation of disaster reduction practices.

The two disasters have underscored the need to build a cultural

context for communities at risk and customize outreach campaigns

and risk communication messages rather than depending on a

prescribed ‘one size fits all’ approach. For the United States, the

devastation of New Orleans and the extensive loss of life among

the hardest to reach populations demonstrated this overlooked

need in one of the nation’s greatest natural disasters.

The need to embrace effective cross-cultural communication

increases as the informed debate on the role of risk reduction in

community development and socio-economic sustainability creates

new discourse, institutional practices and policies. Just as feminist

scholars are now more readily being listened to as they address key

concerns pertinent to the role of gender in risk reduction and disas-

ter recovery, so equal consideration should be given to addressing

a sustainable policy targeted at effective, cross-cultural communi-

cation practices combating discrimination and social exclusion.

A global communication challenge

Internationally, limited resources are directed towards public aware-

ness efforts and outreach campaigns in each stage of emergency

management – be it preparedness and mitigation, response, short-

term recovery, or in the long-term rebuilding of infrastructure,

economy and a return to quality of life. Yet risk communication

techniques significantly influence the success rate for implemen-

tation of disaster reduction practices and decision-making processes

in pre-disaster and post-disaster environments.

Men, women and children in Galle, Aceh, New Orleans and

other, more recently disaster-impacted areas such as Pakistan, now

struggle to understand and accept hazard mitigation strategies being

introduced in the rebuilding process. Impacted residents, business

owners and officials are being asked to utilize alternative building

construction techniques, relocate homes and change lifestyles; to

live in a different relationship to the land and the sea; and to imple-

ment controversial land use solutions. Communication strategists

assisting in implementing these risk reduction practices now have

an opportunity to increase the chance of success by embracing the

use of traditional and non-traditional techniques that penetrate the

psyche of the impacted community and build upon their psychol-

ogy, behaviours, beliefs and decision-making practices.

In New Orleans, the struggle for coherent, culturally appropriate

shared communication continues. In Sri Lanka, long-time warring

political factions, militant extremes, multiple spiritual traditions,

languages and traditions highlight the need for communication

outreach that reflects the divergent communities while at the same

time rebuilds a nation.

Cross-cultural communication theory

Over recent years I have used theoretical frameworks from the field

of cross-cultural communications to help craft risk communication

messages in Southeast Asia and the US. Two approaches in partic-

ular have been useful. K. Hagerman’s Iceberg of Communication

demonstrates how the tip of an iceberg – that which one sees above

the waterline – is what we readily see in another person, such as

ethnicity, clothing and music. Below the waterline, out of sight, are

Crafting cross-cultural risk

communication strategies

Suzanne L. Frew, Cross-cultural Risk Communications Consultant, The Frew Group

A makeshift home altar after the Indian Ocean tsunami reflects the

critical role of spiritual traditions to disaster recovery

Photo: Suzanne L. Frew, 2004