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22 - Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication

from PART II - OPERATIONAL ISSUES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2011

By
Barbara J. Reynolds  and
Gilead Shenhar
Edited by
Kristi L. Koenig  and
Carl H. Schultz
Kristi L. Koenig
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
Carl H. Schultz
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
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Summary

OVERVIEW

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) is a recognized field of study that differs from health risk and risk communication. It is used in disasters and combines elements of the other types of risk communication, but has emerged as a new field recognized by academia. At the time of this writing, CERC is taught in 22 universities in the United States and is being diffused internationally. In addition, the Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization have adopted CERC principles for their communication work. Hence, CERC is the risk communication term that will be used in this chapter.

A CASE FOR EMERGENCY, CRISIS AND HEALTH RISK COMMUNICATION

Health risk communications are an important and necessary component of disaster management. Although a population or community faced with a PICE (potential injury/illness creating event) will not overcome its challenges solely through the application of appropriate communication principles, an organization can compound its problems during an emergency if it has neglected sound CERC planning. Failure to “be first,” “be right,” and “be credible” and deliver empathetic messages may interfere with what would otherwise be well-planned and executed response operations. Integrating CERC into the planning and early stages of disaster response will improve operations and speed recovery.

Keywords

crisis and emergency risk communicationcrisis communication life cycledisaster managementorganizational credibilityreputational risk managementdisaster response operationshealth risk communications
Type
Chapter
Information
Koenig and Schultz's Disaster Medicine
Comprehensive Principles and Practices
 , pp. 326 - 344
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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