The Brisbane flood: CALD gatekeepers’ risk communication role

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Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an original research project that explored the experiences and actions of immigrant and refugee communities during the 2011 Brisbane flood. It specifically examines the role of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community leaders who acted as “gatekeepers” in communicating emergency responses to the disaster to their communities.Design/methodology/approach– Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight “gatekeepers” who met the study's selection criteria.Findings– The study found that the characteristics and demographics of CALD gatekeepers in Brisbane, their use of multiple sources related to their involvement in the community, their use of interpersonal sources for information-seeking and use of the mass media, is largely consistent with previous studies.Research limitations/implications– This study departed from previous research with respect to issues of trust in government sources, gender and warning confirmation behaviour. These differences affected the behaviour of the CALD gatekeepers, especially around risk perception, information dissemination and filtering. Although the study points to the potential challenges facing emergency management services in fully incorporating the needs of all CALD communities, implications are limited given the small number of gatekeepers who agreed to be interviewed.Practical implications– Despite its limitation, the study does indicate that a critical gap exists in understanding CALD community responses to natural disasters.Social implications– The paper concludes with suggestions for a research agenda to gain better knowledge of the ethnic, demographic and personal factors that influence gatekeeping behaviour.Originality/value– The study is original because no prior research has directed attention to Brisbane's CALD community responses to disasters.