CRC Press Effective Communication During Disasters: Making Use of Technology, Media, and Human Resources

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. In today’s world, there are new opportunities for disaster communications through modern technology and social media. Social network applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can connect friends, family, first responders, and those providing relief and assistance. However, social media and other modern communication tools have their limitations. They can be affected by disaster situations where there are power outages or interrupted cellular service. The research contained in this valuable compendium offers much-needed information for emergency responders, utility companies, relief organizations, and governments as they invest in infrastructure to support post-disaster communications. In order to make use of modern communication methods, as well as fully utilize more traditional communication networks, it is imperative that we understand how people actually communicate in the wake of a disaster situation and how various communication strategies can best be utilized. Communication during and immediately after a disaster situation is a vital component of response and recovery. Effective communication connects first responders, support systems, and family members with the communities and individuals immersed in the disaster. Reliable communication also plays a key role in a community’s resilience. With research from internationally recognized experts, this volume provides an overview of communication challenges and best-practice analyses, looks at the internet and social media and mobile phones and other technology for disaster communication, and explores the challenges to effective communication. Presents a quality improvement project that gathered expert consensus on best practices used to improve disaster communication Analyzes the information dissemination mechanisms of different media to establish an efficient information dissemination plan for disaster pre-warning, including short message service (SMS), microblogs, news portals, cell phones, television, and oral communication Gauges the effectiveness of disaster risk communication Looks at the future of social media use during emergencies and afterwards Proposes a disaster resilient network that integrates various wireless networks into a cognitive wireless network in the event of disaster occurrences Effective Communication During Disasters: Making Use of Technology, Media, and Human Resources is an informative, multi-faceted resource on preparedness planning for effective communication before, during, and after a disaster occurs. About the Author Girish Bobby Kapur, MD, MPH, is the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) in Miami, Florida, and was recruited in 2015 to bring transformative change in the delivery of high-quality acute patient care at one of the nation's busiest emergency centers. In addition, Dr. Kapur is launching an academic platform with his colleagues at JMH based on clinical excellence, innovative education, translational research, and public health outreach at the Jackson Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Kapur is an internationally recognized emergency physician and public health expert who previously served as the Associate Chief for Academic Affairs and the Founding Residency Program Director in the Section of Emergency Medicine and an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) from 2009-2015. Based on his international and academic accomplishments, Dr. Kapur was also appointed by BCM President Paul Klotman as the Founding Director of the Center for Globalization at Baylor College of Medicine. For two years, Dr. Kapur helped guide the College's global initiatives and worked with the BCM faculty, residents, and students to fulfill BCM's mission to be an international leader in academic medicine. In September 2014, Dr. Kapu