The roles of religious leaders in disaster preparedness

A considerable number of participants pointed at the parish priest playing a core role in the distribution of information: “If I go to mass and hear the parish priest say that the council is going to set up a voluntary group I can pass on the information”.

Cultural Factors: Worldviews, Communication

Hazards: Natural hazards, Man-made non-intentional hazards or emergency situations, Man-made intentional hazards

Disaster Phases: Preparedness, Response, Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: Local authorities, National civil protection body

Recommendations:

• Use trustworthy, widespread, multi-lingual, culturally appropriate and inclusive means of alerting the target population in case of disasters
• Empower vulnerable groups (i.e. children, elderly, and people with disabilities) by including them in disaster management decision-making and actions
• Use cultural factors to improve the effectiveness of disaster communication