Abstract
Emergency managers and community partners must communicate complex information to public audiences likely to have low knowledge and high anxiety during hazardous materials incidents. Emergency officials convey information through press briefings, news releases, and social media. Changes in media systems such as loss of local outlets, increasing social media reliance, media fragmentation, and disinformation challenge traditional approaches to risk communication. Formal and informal communication networks can play an integral role in helping prepare for and respond to technological incidents. Organizations like local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) coordinate, connect, and build network communication infrastructures, supporting risk communication in catastrophes. Although LEPCs do not respond to emergencies and disasters, the networks that LEPCs cultivate can assist emergency officials and community partners in sharing coordinated messages about technical risks that are more likely to encourage trust among an anxious public.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Communication and Catastrophic Events |
Subtitle of host publication | Strategic Risk and Crisis Management |
Editors | H Dan O'Hair, Mary John O'Hair |
Publisher | Wiley |
Pages | 103-119 |
Number of pages | 17 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781119751847 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781119751816 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences