Understanding how to communicate multi-hazard and cascading hazard and risk information to aid disaster risk planning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Masters in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
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Date
2023
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Massey University
Figures 1 & 2 are reused with permission.
Figures 1 & 2 are reused with permission.
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Abstract
Driven by climate change, population growth, land use intensification, and an ever more interconnected world, disaster events are becoming more frequent, more severe, more costly, and more complex. As such, multi-hazard risk reduction, including robust data collection and decision-making, is increasingly important to ensure that the inevitable emergencies we respond to are less disastrous. Nine professionals drawn from the Aotearoa New Zealand hazard and disaster ‘risk reduction sector’ (including technical specialists, emergency management professionals, and local and central government staff) were interviewed via semi-structured interviews to discuss their understanding and use of multi-hazard and cascading hazard and risk information for disaster risk reduction purposes. Professional context was found to be strongly influenced by the specificities of New Zealand legislation and the relationship between legislative requirements (including but not limited to the Resource Management Act 1991, Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, Building Act 2004 and Local Government Act 2002). These professionals use overlapping terms such as ‘multi-hazard’, ‘cascading hazard’ and ‘compounding hazard’, sometimes interchangeably, to describe a range of concepts, including the increasingly common situation where shocks or failures in one part of a system spill across to others. This complex interaction of potential risk, events, impacts and their conceptualisation presents a challenge for effective communication with and between decision-makers, the public, and peer organisations regarding disaster risk reduction. Consequently, consideration needs to be given to how to communicate such concepts so that they can be understood and used effectively in decision-making. The interview findings suggest that narrative communication might be a possible solution. The merits of using narrative communication, in the context of risk communication, are discussed within this thesis. Narrative is recognised as a method of organising, understanding and communicating complex information, and is found to have potential as a frame for communicating multi and cascading hazard and risk information. Additionally, guiding principles are proposed based on the results of the interviews to assist the development of more effective hazard model outputs and supporting communication products, recognising the power of a good story, well-designed graphics, and audience-appropriate scaffolding.