Challenges in organizational and interpersonal communication

¶ … Disaster Communication

Safety

International disasters including natural disasters pose a number of simultaneous challenges. Communication is an essential facet to life and particularly in life threatening situations, such as in disaster situations. Effective and stable communication is very important in providing support to people in need or danger during disastrous events. There are a variety of potential threats to communication during disasters; threats are contingent to the type or nature of the disaster, the severity of the disaster, the location of the event, and the duration. In disastrous events, there is a strong possibility that communication will be compromised, damaged, or temporarily inaccessible. Communication on the ground where the event occurs has a greater potential for damage and inaccessibility. The paper will explore the challenges international disaster agencies face regarding communication during disasters. Referencing a modern example, the paper will examine general and specific challenges in communication during phases of the disaster operation.

Problems to communication include when the disaster occurs in an area with a moderate to large variety of cultural, ethnic, and/or linguistic qualities. Language is definitely a realistic barrier when it comes to communication. International disaster agencies may have the means for lives translation, but there will always be some kind of delay as part of the translation process. During the Sendai Earthquake in Japan in March 2011, there was a great need for people who speak Japanese. Japanese is one of the top ten spoken languages on Earth, but it is not a language spoken by many in the west. In this respect, language as a part of communication slowed the response from regions where there are fewer and less experienced Japanese speakers. For agencies that do not have the adequate linguistic reference, they face a huge impediment to serving the people affected by the disaster.

If the disaster has affected power, even with all the proper resources, communication may be impeded among international disaster agencies because of the severity of the disaster, such as a black out or hurricane. If there are internal communication problems in the area of the disaster, international disaster agencies face another obstacle in this way. If power and communications are damaged as a result of a disaster, despite the fact that international agencies may be able to communicate among themselves, the lack of communication is a problem. In the case of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, towns were flooded. Vehicles were swept away. People were missing, lost, or dead. Power lines were destroyed. All of these facts contributed to restrictions in communication within Japan as well as to the outside world. The agencies that are in place to offer support will not have important details regarding the precise nature of the disaster, the types of effects, the severity of the dangers, and other information necessary to properly prioritize and execute a rescue plan for those who need it.

Moreover, during disasters, a general reaction of the people affected is to panic. Panic hampers communication as well. People frozen with fear may have trouble calling out for help or responding when help arrives. People who have witnesses graphic events as a result of the disaster may be frozen with shock, unable to communicate their own injuries or the general situation their in for rescue workers and other forms of support. These are examples of ways that communication is impeded during disaster crises. These are also examples impeded communication has upon the rescue efforts during and after the disaster event.

After and in-between disasters are good times for communication among international disaster agencies. Most disasters are not predictable and some that do show signs of impending danger do not always provide adequate time for adequate disaster preparations such as relocation, evacuation, acquisition & distribution of disaster event supplies. Strong, multifaceted, and clearly defined communication channels within an agency and among agencies are critical to the provision of timely and appropriate disaster relief. In the 21st century, technology is an asset to exploit in this regard.