Still Left in the Dark? How People in Emergencies Use Communication to Survive - and How Humanitarian Agencies can Help

Following the BBC Media Action's policy briefing Left in the Dark of 2008, this briefing updates work done by the humanitarian sector to prioritise information and communication to those affected by disasters. As reported here, in the humanitarian response landscape following the January 12 2010, earthquake in Haiti, coordination mechanisms designed to ensure the better provision of information were in place. However, the increased use of mobile technology for 2-way communication has marked a change in humanitarian emergency response.

"The Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network was formed just prior to the earthquake, in response to the Left in the Dark briefing, and has been instrumental in convening key discussions around the topic. Other examples of progress include a new project, infoasaid, which has received funding from the UK [United Kingdom] Department for International Development to provide practical assistance on communication to a range of partner humanitarian Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the International Organization of Migration (IOM), have secured funding and support for such work during emergencies. There is increasing recognition by the UN [United Nations]’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) of the importance of this kind of communication: OCHA now includes updates on this area in its situation reports and has funded key initiatives, including the Haiti coordination mechanism. The media assistance organisation Internews, and other specialist communications agencies such as BBC Media Action (formerly the BBC World Service Trust), have also begun to develop specific humanitarian response capacity, including dedicated staff and funding, although resources are still insufficient."

With the growth of mobile telephony and increased connectivity within populations, disaster survivors have more communication capacity. However, as access to new technology grows, humanitarian organisations have recognised the implications of the technological communication capacity of disaster survivors and how that connectivity is changing the face of emergency information flows, raising a number of challenges and opportunities for humanitarian agencies. Two-way information flow is now an expectation and demand of disaster-affected communities: "In developing as well as developed countries, feedback hotlines, interactive websites and a social media presence are a central part of any business. Local media encourage interaction through phone-ins, Facebook live chats and Twitter/SMS feeds. Governments and other civil actors are, increasingly, online. Such interactivity is now expected of aid organisations...."

Social media needs to be incorporated in disaster response information systems: "The ways in which social media is incorporated into existing communication systems seem particularly important in understanding its value and significance. While the vast majority of Haitians in Port au Prince, for example, are not Twitter users, the city’s journalists overwhelmingly are and see it as an essential source of news and updates. Since most Haitians depend on radio for information, they are, in fact, the indirect beneficiaries of Twitter information systems." Social media can provide real-time dialogue that television cannot. They can also provide a role for diaspora populations in post-disaster communications systems. In addition, mobile phone providers are a private-sector source of humanitarian possibilities, for example, their formation of local call centres for emergency response or Kenya's Daktari1525 system, which provides 24-hour access to qualified medical advice via phone across the country.

Research among communities in the post-disaster period shows a high rate of gratitude for mobile-phone-connected disaster information services, even as they indicate a need for improved information and services. A consistent finding is that communities value the listening and communication process involved in the connectivity offered by phone.

This kind of response may mean that an aid agency needs to train and employ a dedicated communications staff in its operations, as well as develop a system of feedback on evaluating and upgrading communication systems. Outsourcing some of the call centre and SMS (text messaging) work is another strategy, as long as there is capacity development and a systematic and resourced approach to feedback.

The briefing points to reasons "why so little systematic communication work takes place, and why so many communication needs remain,... including insufficient understanding or investment in communication, and lack of recognition and support from the humanitarian sector.” The recommendations include:

• "Hire and resource dedicated communication staff
• Recognise the importance of local skills
• Learn to work with the private sector
• Analyse the communications landscape 
• Think of the whole population, not just beneficiaries 
• Focus on meaningful interaction, not message delivery
• Get better at listening 
• Overcome fears around feedback
• Don’t forget about people 
• Take a multi channeled approach
• Improve monitoring and evaluation
• Emergency support for emergency communication"

The briefing calls for consistency of information, prevention of duplication, coordination of campaigns, access to research and learning within the country, and convening of practitioners to set standard working practices. And, "[s]ince communication is a cross cutting issue, it also needs to be considered at cluster level across such sectors as health, education and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)." It calls for opening up information systems to local populations. For example, "[o]ne model developed recently is an Internews project in Central African Republic, which supports local radio stations in keeping audiences up to date on humanitarian work, and in the collection of information about humanitarian needs from their audiences. This information is synthesised into regular reports shared among humanitarian partners....”

"A systems level approach also needs to consider how communication work can support and draw on other systems level functions such as information management (for the overall response, especially the systems managed by OCHA) and advocacy. There is an additional challenge, slightly tangential to the communication question, of whether and how a humanitarian response could and should run a collective complaints mechanism. This complex question involves fundamental issues such as mandate, management and responsibility and relationship with the national authorities...." The briefing concludes with an analysis of possible funding mechanisms and recommendations for donor support.

Click here to read about this document online.