Abstract
Hazard and risk communication requires the design and dissemination of clear messages that enhance people’s actions before, during, and after volcanic crises. To create effective messages, the communication components such as message format and content, must be considered. Changes in technology are changing the way people communicate at an ever-increasing pace; thus, we propose revising the basic components of the communication process to improve the dialogue between scientists and the public. We describe communication issues during and outside volcanic crises in Ecuador and assess possible causes and consequences. These ideas were discussed during the short-duration “Volcano Geophysical Principles and Hazards Communications” Workshop in Baños, Ecuador in 2019. We review and propose communication strategies for volcanic hazards and risks that resulted from the workshop discussions and experiences of experts from the Instituto Geofísico (IG-EPN), local and international professors involved in volcano research and communication, and students from universities across Ecuador.
Highlights
One of the primary goals of volcano hazard and risk communication is to provide people with adequate information to improve their ability to recognize and respond to the threat of volcanic hazards, as well as to understand the current state of volcanic activity, the current monitoring status, and projections for the near future
In Indonesia, communication requires the use of the many local dialects to be effective, and Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) created a network of in-situ observatories staffed by local community members [Andreastuti et al 2017] with multiplex radio-based systems to issue instant warnings to community officials, and pass information on how to best respond during volcanic crises [Syahbana et al 2019]
A notable recent case is the modelling of an earthquakegenerated tsunami in Palu-Indonesia in 2018 by using videos from social media [Sepúlveda et al 2020] to help explaining the tsunami’s origin from the earthquake as well as associated landslides; this highlights the potential positive feedback of strengthening two-way communication on social media because it engages the community in providing scientific content necessary for understanding the hazards near them
Summary
One of the primary goals of volcano hazard and risk communication is to provide people with adequate information to improve their ability to recognize and respond to the threat of volcanic hazards, as well as to understand the current state of volcanic activity, the current monitoring status, and projections for the near future. While this goal seems straightforward, difficulties often arise during the communication process. Other workshop activities ranged from visits to local volcanic deposits and monitoring sites, to lectures on the country’s geodynamic context, in order to contextualize the local hazard and risk communication issues
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