Strategies of relief organizations for improvement of disaster risk communication process in Iran

Abstract

The frequency and severity of disaster occurrence and emergency situations, and the importance of disaster risk communication of relief organizations to increase the readiness of societies in the case of disaster are increasing around the world. This study aimed to identify relief organizations' strategies to improve disaster risk communication in Iran. This qualitative study was conducted with the participation of 25 managers, relief workers, and people who had experiences in response to one of the disasters. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis.The analysis of the data of this study led to the identification of 3 categories and 9 sub-categories regarding strategies of relief organizations to improve risk communication. These categories are 1) management of information and educational communication 2) management of communication barriers, and 3) Inter-organizational communication management.Relief organizations use different strategies to improve disaster risk communication, and communication barrier management is vital for improving organizations' communication with people. Developing risk communication improvement strategies can help planners and managers design and implement effective risk management programs.