From emergency management organisations to the public: Natural disaster communications and trust in the age of social media

Emergency management agencies using formal and social media to prepare citizens to face natural disasters and provide relief during and after them need to craft their messages carefully to ensure the desired response. They need to be consistent in the kind(s) of image they project, to keep the flow of messages constant to create a lasting bond, and to avoid contradictory or confusing messages that could spread panic. In this article we explore, compare and contrast formal and social media communication by agencies such as US FEMA, Italy’s Protezione Civile and Germany’s BBK. We focus on the strategies emergency agencies use to inform, update and train citizens about disasters with special reference to protocols and guidelines on effective communication and zoom in on what constitutes ‘clear, simple messages’ by exploring issues of readability and affective or evaluative language.