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The key to reducing loss of life, personal injuries, and damage from natural
disasters is widespread public awareness and education. People must be
made aware of what natural hazards they are likely to face in their own
communities. They should know in advance what specific preparations to
make before an event, what to do during a hurricane, earthquake, flood, fire,
or other likely event, and what actions to take in its aftermath.
Equally important, public officials and the media television, radio, and
newspapers must be fully prepared to respond effectively, responsibly, and
speedily to large-scale natural emergencies. They need to be aware, in
advance, of procedures to follow in a crisis that threatens to paralyze the
entire community they serve, and they need to know how to communicate
accurate information to the public during a natural disaster.
Special efforts must also be made to reach and plan for the care of particularly
vulnerable segments of the population latch-key children, the elderly,
individuals in health care and correctional facilities, people with disabilities,
and those who do not speak English with information about possible
disasters and what to do in an emergency.
To achieve this goal, the Committee proposes that information campaigns and
educational efforts be developed and that their effectiveness be evaluated and,
where possible, continually improved:
6.Public officials and the press:- Special attention should be given to raising
the level of knowledge and expertise of public officials and the press, both of
whom have central responsibilities for dealing with natural disasters. There is
a need to develop procedures, protocols, and priorities for disseminating
information to the public. Contingency plans should be put in place so that
vital emergency services and key elements of the press are prepared to
function even when electricity, transportation, telephone transmission, and
other communications and production capabilities are severely disrupted.
Community emergency procedures, warning signals, disaster resources, and
relief facilities and responsibilities should be spelled out in advance and
reviewed and tested periodically by public officials and the press.
Journalism schools and press think tanks such as the Gannett Center for Media
Studies and the Annenberg Center for Communications, as well as
professional organizations such as Sigma Delta Chi and the Radio-Television
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