Disaster Messaging Work Group
The RDPO Disaster Messaging Work Group (DMWG) collaborates to create consistent, cohesive, and trauma-informed disaster messaging that meets the language, disability, and cultural needs of the whole community.
Chair: Laura Hall, Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization
Vice Chair: Bonny Cushman, Regional Water Providers Consortium
The Index
View our Disaster Messaging Index - a monthly compilation of resources related to disaster messaging, including general risk communication, hazard-specific communication, language and disability access, emergency alert and warning systems, etc.
ABOUT THE DMWG
We aspire to:
Represent our diverse region (geography, disability, income, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, language background, housing status, age, etc.).
Make all disaster messaging accessible. It is ethical, equitable, and inclusive to prioritize language and disability accessibility. It also aligns with the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organizations Guiding Principles and Equity Goals.
Consider past trauma. Many of our communities are living with constant trauma, and many have been impacted by disasters recently or at some point in their lives. We do not show traumatic images of disasters.
Co-create messaging with partners who represent communities most impacted by disasters. Include them in discussions before, during, and after content creation.
Avoid fatalism. Use positive, motivational, informative, and accurate messaging based on current social science. Recommended reading: Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley and The Big One podcast, Episode 8.
Employ cultural responsiveness and humility. Avoid anything that doesn’t translate easily to other languages and cultures. Use humor/lightness, but also use extreme caution with jokes. They must be easily translatable to other languages and non-dominant cultures and not offend anyone.
Use the Ironic Process Theory. Present the actions we want to see, not the opposite.
DMWG projects
CURRENT Projects
Local Media & Disasters
Implementation of Community Engagement Lessons Learned (CELL)
PublicAlerts.org usability testing, rebranding, and promotion
FUTURE PROJECTS
K-12 School Messaging
Systems & Standards in Public Information & Warning
Regional alert and warning signup portal alignment
Updates to Regional Joint Information System SOP & ConOps
PAST PROJECTS
PublicAlerts.org Accessibility Audit
Assisted with Citizen Corps Work Group preparedness videos
Assisted with the Regional Building Damage Assessment Project (RBDAP)
Assisted with the Social Vulnerability Tools (SVT)
Collaboration
The DMWG chair participates in a number of initiatives in order to inform DMWG work and advocate for the disaster messaging needs of the Portland Metro Region.
Local partnerships: Public Information Officers Work Group, Emergency Alert & Warning Work Group
Oregon partnerships: OR-ALERT Sub-Committee on Alerts and Warning Recommended Practices (SCRAP), Disability in Emergency Management Advisory Commission (DEMAC), OHA Disaster Resilience Learning Collaborative (DRLC)
National partnerships: Language & Accessibility in Alert & Warning Workgroup
Current Members
As OF JUNE 2024
Afiq Hisham, Washington County
Alice Busch, Multnomah County
Alita Fitz, Washington County
Amy Wolfe, Multnomah County
Angela Carkner, RDPO
Bill Conway, Clackamas County
Bonny Cushman, Regional Water Providers Consortium
Brenna Cruz, Clackamas County
Brook McCall, Aim4Access
Calvin Hoff, Multnomah County
Dakota Karlsen, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency
Dan Douthit, City of Portland
Diego Basabe, Multnomah County
Erin Taylor, Aim4Access
Felicia Heaton, City of Portland
Gabriel Hernandez, Multnomah County
Gail Zuro, Multnomah County
Heather Sielicki, 211info
Jacinta Cruz, Health Preparedness Organization
Jamie Bash, Oregon Health Authority
Jaymee Cuti, City of Portland
Jennifer Stacey, Port of Portland
Jessica Kosydar, Columbia County
Kate Szrom, Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officers
Kelle Landavazo, City of Gresham
Kimberlee Ables, Metro
Laura Hall, RDPO
Lauren Frank, Portland State University
Lindsay Wochnick, City of Hillsboro
Lorraine Churchill, Portland Community College
Mark Pacheco, Columbia County
Mary Ellen Winterhalter, Clackamas County
Melissa McKinney, Regional Public Health Preparedness & Response Programs
Pilar Montejo, Regional Public Health Preparedness & Response Programs
Rebecca Marshall, Red Cross
Regina Ingabire, City of Portland
Richard Higgins, Multnomah County
Roberta Mesa, Care Oregon
Sandy Glantz, City of Troutdale
Shaun Brown, Columbia County
Stephanie Yao Long, City of Portland
Tatiana Elejalde, City of Portland
William Tongsiri, PASA Language Solutions
Emergency Toilet Project
Several recent disasters in the United States have caused damage to portions of water and wastewater systems, leaving major metropolitan areas without access to clean water and flushable toilets for prolonged periods. Emergency managers, among others, have recognized a need to improve post-disaster sanitation management and educate communities on how best to manage human waste.
Photo credit: Columbia Regional Emergency Services Agency
Photo credit: Laura Hall
Phase 1:
Guidelines for the Public
In 2016, Sue Mohnkern of Washington County Public Health (in Oregon) led the RDPO Disaster Sanitation Task Force in developing guidelines for disaster sanitation following a catastrophic, pipe-breaking event.
Phase 2:
Educational Materials
In 2017, the technical content created by the sanitation task force was passed to the RDPO’s Disaster Messaging Work Group. With the help of an Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant, they hired Portland-based consulting firm Barney and Worth to help transform the disaster sanitation guidelines into pre-and post-event education campaign tools, which can be found on the Emergency Toilet Project web page.
Phase 3:
Collection, Transport & Disposal
In 2018, the Regional Disaster Sanitation Task Force convened again to complete the project. They began creating recommendations for local jurisdictions on how to collect, transport, and dispose of human feces as soon as systems begin to function. The final recommendations will include multiple options so they can make informed decisions based on the options available to them. This work was put on pause during the pandemic.