The Role of Information and Communication in Disaster Response: An Overview

Only recently has emphasis on the information element of power surfaced as a key contributor to strategic success. The United States is just getting around to coming up with an acceptable term to describe the way the nation wields information as power Strategic Communication. The government is still arguing about the pure definition of this term, but, to establish a baseline, consider the definition from the DoDs Quadrennial Defense Review. Strategic Communication is defined as Focused United States Government USG processes and efforts to understand and engage key audiences in order to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favorable to advance national interests and objectives through the use of coordinated information, themes, plans, programs, and actions synchronized with other elements of national power. Strategic communication in disasters serves several purposes first, it can serve to manage the expectations of the public regarding the capabilities and potential assistance provided at all levels of government second, it provides public information prior to and during the event to facilitate the safety and security of U.S. citizens and finally, it can, if effectively used in conjunction with visible ongoing relief efforts, serve to increase the credibility of government and serve as a calming influence to the citizenry. Strategic communication during domestic disasters also serves a foreign policy role. Effective USG strategic communication can portray the United States as a capable, efficient, and effective responder to the needs of its people and so send a message to emerging democracies regarding the role of government toward the needs of its citizens. On the other hand, poor USG strategic communication can contribute to the opposite perception world-wide. Hurricane Katrina provides an excellent example of the impact of strategic communication on the perceptions of victims, the U.S. domestic population, and foreign audiences.