Inclusive Crisis Simulations and Emergency Preparedness

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Dear reader,

In this week’s edition of the Wag The Dog newsletter I cover cultural awareness in emergency preparedness.

I think this is a topic we don't talk about enough in our field, but it's really important.

Standardised emergency plans are no longer enough. Let's take a look at why culturally aware crisis simulations are becoming increasingly important in our industry.

And please, let me know what you think by commenting or sending your feedback.

Enjoy the article.

Table of Contents

• The challenge: overlooked communities

• The potential solution: inclusive plans and simula …

• Reduction of misunderstandings

• The power of storytelling

• Action steps: Implement cultural competence

• Overcome challenges

• How AI can help

• The bottom line

• References and further reading.

  • Sponsor

• What I am reading/testing/checking out:

  • Let’s meet

The challenge: overlooked communities

During emergencies, marginalised communities often bear the brunt. Why? Traditional preparedness plans often overlook their unique needs. Remember these examples?

Hurricane Katrina highlighted racial and class disparities in the recovery efforts in New Orleans.

Research indicates that the disaster exacerbated existing inequalities, with black and low-income residents suffering disproportionately. These groups experienced longer displacement durations and more extensive housing damage, which slowed their return and recovery compared to white and more affluent residents. ¹

In California, evacuation orders for wildfires weren't heeded due to language barriers.

Language barriers were a major problem in California during the evacuations following the wildfires, affecting Latino communities in particular. Many emergency warnings and evacuation orders were initially only available in English, leading to confusion and delayed responses for non-English speaking residents.

This problem came to light during events such as the Carr Fire and the Thomas Fire, where the lack of multilingual communication put Latino residents at particular risk. ²

The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan cut older people off from youth-centred social networks.

The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan have led to social isolation, especially among older adults. Although research does not explicitly mention social networks, they do show that older adults were at greater risk of social isolation as a result of the disaster.

This isolation likely contributed to the difficulty in accessing information and support, which may have been exacerbated by a lack of familiarity with digital communication platforms commonly used by the younger population. ³

The potential solution: inclusive plans and simulations

By incorporating culturally aware crisis simulations, we can equip responders with the skills they need to effectively support all communities.

It's really about understanding the cultural fabric that determines how emergencies impact different groups.

Key cultural factors to consider:

These characteristics overlap and form common ways of life that are rooted in history, values, dialects and symbolic representations of collective experiences.

Reduction of misunderstandings

Let's dispel a few myths. Many emergency planners believe that robust, standardised protocols are enough. But we know they're not.

Here's what can go wrong:

• Jargon-heavy materials exclude non-English speakers and the visually impaired.

• Culturally inappropriate distribution of relief supplies (pork to Jewish or Muslim communities?).

• Inaccessible evacuation centres leave out people without their own transport.

• Over-reliance on social media neglects older populations who favour traditional media.

(This last one is really something that can make me angry. I’ve seen too many crisis plans where “let’s update social media” is considered the silver bullet to solve all problems - so wrong!)

The power of storytelling

Want to make a difference? Use narratives and metaphors. Tell emotional stories about how cultural blindness has exacerbated past disasters. In this way, you can promote empathy and the recognition of differentiated needs.

Action steps: Implement cultural competence

Are you prepared to make some changes to your approach. Here’s what you could do:

1. Assemble a diverse advisory board and consult regularly.

2. Recruit culturally familiar simulation leaders.

3. Measure inclusivity through feedback and performance metrics.

4. Promote cultural flexibility by sharing best practises.

Overcome challenges

Change isn't always easy. Brace yourself for resistance, resource allocation issues and the need to find a balance between specificity and broad applicability.

How AI can help

I’ll write my own thoughts on this soon but in the meantime I already wanted to share this very insightful article from Preventionweb with the title:

Strengthening equitable, impact-based early warning through artificial intelligence: four key perspectives.

The article explores how artificial intelligence can enhance impact-based early warning systems for disasters, with a focus on ensuring equitable outcomes.

It stresses the importance of addressing data biases and involving communities to make these systems more effective and fair, particularly for vulnerable populations.

The bottom line

Emergencies don't make a difference, but their impact does.

By conducting culturally aware and inclusive crisis simulations, we can definitely improve emergency management and reaffirm our common humanity.

We should advocate for comprehensive protection through cultural adaptation. Isn't that what good communication is all about?

What do you think? Let me know.

References and further reading.

1  Fussell, E., Sastry, N., & Vanlandingham, M. (2009). Race, socioeconomic status, and return migration to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Population and Environment, 31(1-3), 20–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-009-0092-2

2  Yoder, K. (2021, June 15). During wildfires and hurricanes, a language gap can be deadly. Grist; Grist. https://grist.org/language/wildfires-hurricanes-translation-language-gap/

3  Yuka Kotozaki, Tanno, K., Sakata, K., Otsuka, K., Sasaki, R., Nobuyuki Takanashi, Mamoru Satoh, Shimizu, A., & Sasaki, M. (2022). Association between Social Isolation and Total Mortality after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate Prefecture: Findings from the TMM CommCohort Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 4343–4343. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074343

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What I am reading/testing/checking out:

• Article: The Impact of Generative AI on Risk Careers

• Tool: Create branded AI assistants trained on your data

• Case Study: A Community Case Study on Geographic, Environmental, and Social Health Disparities in COVID-19 Disease (US)

• Article: No one’s ready for this - Our basic assumptions about photos capturing reality are about to go up in smoke.

• Podcast: In every episode, Polpeo co-founders Tamara Littleton and Kate Hartley cover a different crisis.

Let’s meet

Here are the events and conferences I'll be speaking at. If you're around, feel free to message me and we can meet up for a coffee.

• 🌍 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Thought Leader Webinar: Using AI for Crisis Communications, Thursday 12 September, online.

• 🇧🇭 Al for Crisis Communications: Navigating Turbulent Times, 6-7 October, Manama, Bahrain

• CHANGE - 🇺🇸 Al in PR Conference + Bootcamp, 17-18 October 2024, Chicago, USA

• 🇬🇧 Crisis Communications Boot Camp, 4-5 November, London, United Kingdom

• 🇺🇸 International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Annual Conference, 7 November, Colorado Springs, USA (remote/virtual).

• 🇳🇿 Emergency Media and Public Affairs (EMPA) conference, 8 November, Wellington, New Zealand (remote/virtual)

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_{Parts of this newsletter were created using AI technology to draft content. In addition, all AI-generated images include a caption stating, 'This image was created using AI'. These changes were made in line with the transparency requirements of the EU AI law for AI-generated content. Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase; however, I only promote tools and services that I have tested, use myself, or am convinced will make a positive difference.}