RDPO Disaster Messaging Index

Photo of a card catalog filing cabinet. A drawer is open, and it is full of index cards.

About the index

The Disaster Messaging Index is 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, and more.

Contact

The index is compiled by the RDPO Disaster Messaging Work Group. Please contact Laura Hall (laura.hall@portlandoregon.gov) with questions, comments, or additions.

 JANUARY 2025

  • The 2025 Access and Functional Needs Conference in Colorado Springs is from April 8-10. The conference focus will be on “T - Transportation Resources” from the CMIST Resource Memory Tool. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in receiving information and toolkits to assist in Transportation Resource Disruption planning with your whole community throughout all phases of disasters and emergencies.

  • The Natural Hazards Center is accepting applications for workshop presentations for their 50th annual research and applications workshop in July. This is an excellent event that brings together researchers and practitioners. Application due date is January 14. hazards.colorado.edu/workshop/2025

  • Metro Regional Government has an open RFP for On-Call Crisis Communications Contractors. The opportunity closes 2/4/25.

 NOVEMBER 2024

AUGUST 2024 

  • The Natural Hazards Center released graphic recordings from their 2024 Natural Hazards Workshop. These images summarize the ideas expressed in the workshop’s keynote, plenary sessions, and closing call to action. This year’s workshop was titled “The Stories We Tell: Creative Strategies for Understanding and Communicating Disaster Risk.”

JULY 2024

  • Upstream Access (a new cross-disability non-profit) is excited to announce the Prep-ability Peers cohorts they are hosting to share information and training on Emergency Preparedness for people with disabilities. Each cohort will meet the third Tuesday of the month starting July 16 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM and last three months. See the Prep-ability Peer Cohorts Flyer for dates, topics, and locations and click here to register. Upstream Access also hosts Ready.Set.Connect!, a monthly virtual meet-up for people with disabilities on the first Tuesday of the month from 6-7 PM. Register on Zoom, and you will receive a monthly resource list emailed to you. 

  • The National Weather Service has begun using the term “Particularly Dangerous Situation,” which is a special tag they would use to ensure heightened attention to their regular warnings. Watch this YouTube video to learn more. 

  • Earlier this year, FEMA and the Rosalind Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) announced the release of the Take Control in 1, 2, 3: Disaster Preparedness Guide for Caregivers. The guide was developed with a deep understanding of the role of caregivers and the challenges they face and provides actionable steps to help them and those they care for become more resilient to disasters and emergencies.

 

 JUNE 2024

  • North Carolina Heat Action Plan Toolkit: North Carolina has developed a Heat Action Plan Toolkit, which aims to help communities adapt and build resilience to extreme heat. Primarily targeted for use by local governments, including health and emergency management departments, the toolkit focuses on approaches to reduce the human health impacts of increasing temperatures and heat waves. These tools could be adapted for our local jurisdictions! 

  • DeafLEAD Disaster Distress Hotline: At the April meeting of the Language & Accessibility in Alert & Warning Work Group, a group called DeafLEAD gave a presentation on their 24/7/365 trauma-informed crisis intervention services for the public, including the Disaster Distress Hotline, Interpretation for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and the Deaf Crisis Line. The presentation includes discussion about just-in-time interpretation during emergencies and the needs of ASL speakers during crisis.  

  • Camp Creek Fire Story Map: The Portland Water Bureau created an interactive, multimedia timeline of the 2023 Camp Creek Fire, from the first lightning strike to post-fire recovery. Visit: Portland.gov/water/CampCreek

 MAY 2024

 FEBRUARY 2024

  • Oregon State University Extension is offering two national award-winning projects on their Cascadia Earthquake Preparedness web page at https://beav.es/cascadiaprepare. The free, online learning system portal for Preparing for the Cascadia Subduction Zone Event offers modules to help participants gain awareness, learn what to do during and right after the big quake, and prepare to shelter in place or evacuate. It also includes a virtual reality simulation of a Magnitude 9.1 earthquake. Pro-tip: Don’t register as a Guest. You will be locked out of the free course. Follow directions in the portal to enroll. A Spanish version of the Cascadia Earthquake Preparedness web page is also available.

 JANUARY 2024

  • The California Office of Access and Functional Needs (OAFN) utilizes the California Community Network to communicate with partner organizations during disasters and throughout the recovery cycle. The Network brings partners together to leverage technical information, physical resources, and subject matter expertise on behalf of the whole community. It includes partners, such as Independent Living Centers, California Resource Centers, the California Council of the Blind, agencies that serve individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and many others. Participating organizations join voluntarily, are direct service providers, make themselves available 24/7, and work in close partnership with OAFN.

  • California’s storm safety page is full of really well-written advice in plain language. 

  • Omniglot is an online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages. It’s a solid reference tool for understanding world languages. 

 DECEMBER 2023

  • The Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) has a new episode in its Ready to Recover podcast series. The most recent episode focuses on disaster recovery challenges and solutions for small businesses. Four guest experts unpack these issues, explaining what happens to small businesses in the wake of a disaster and offering thought-provoking insights and ideas for solutions. The podcast explores issues that are relevant to a wide audience — from disaster preparedness specialists and community planners to insurance professionals and small-business owners.

  • Many parts of Oregon were recently impacted by heavy rain following the arrival of two atmospheric rivers. Be prepared for next time:

 AUGUST 2023

  • The RDPO posted 400+ wildfire and smoke messages in 32 languages at PublicAlerts.org/messaging-tools. 

  • The 2023 National Access and Functional Needs Symposium released the entire playlist of session recordings with American Sign Language (ASL) and closed caption (CC) in both English and Spanish.

  • ShakeAlert has a new website design and a new messaging toolkit.

  • Check out Lewis & Clark College’s Cascadia 9 Game and ongoing research to understand what motivates young adults to prepare for earthquakes and other natural disasters.

  • Lincoln County Emergency Management and Lincoln County Fire Defense Board recently released three new Wildfire Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in both English and Spanish. These videos were created through a collaborative effort between emergency management and local fire agencies after the Echo Mountain Complex Fire. 

  • Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service published Our Future in Our Hands, a booklet on wildfire preparedness for community members, in both Spanish and English. 

JUNE 2023

MAY 2023

ALERT & WARNING

  • AccessWireless.org is a website designed to help people with disabilities, seniors, veterans and their families and caretakers to find a cell phone and accessible wireless devices and services. CTIA and the wireless industry created AccessWireless.org to be your “first stop” to learn about the ever-changing world of cell phones and wireless devices and services and discover those that meet your specific needs.

  • We’ve heard that several counties in Colorado are using a company called Reach Well for translations. This is just info sharing - not an endorsement.

APRIL 2023

PREPAREDNESS

WEATHER EMERGENCIES

February 2023

ACCESS

PREPARENDESS

  • Heating safety flyers that allow you to add your own logo: usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/heating.html 

  • A quote from the great Rebecca Solnit: “Inequality of voice is one of the most powerful elements of inequality of all kinds. Children and elderly people are routinely treated as incompetent witnesses to their own lives and needs. Poor people, immigrants and people with disabilities are likewise treated as subordinates and incompetents.”

EARTHQUAKE

  • Next month is the 12th anniversary of the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. I’d like to share a very well-made video of the first three days that was released last year by Japan’s public broadcasting station. It shows some really powerful footage of response and mass care. That said, it’s very difficult to watch and is definitely not for everyone. But it may be motivational in terms of renewing commitment to earthquake readiness.

  • In October 2022, OPB interviewed Chris Goldfinger and others about what to do during an earthquake. The video presents the case that more complex messaging is needed. Here’s a Temblor opinion piece on the same topic that Chris published in March 2022. And here’s a USGS article by Sara Minson about how this all relates to Earthquake Early Warning. 

JANUARY 2023

LANGUAGE ACCESS

  • Seattle/King County has a wonderful Translation Tips document. We’ll be creating a version of this for our region, but for now we can benefit from their great work. 

  • Has anyone heard of CommunityLanguageCoop.com? It’s a translation and interpretation vendor in Colorado that comes highly recommended by Dr. Lori Peek. Looks like a fabulous organization with a strong language justice program.

  • Designing for Translation (2021) In this webinar, Laura Godfrey and Fedora Braverman share tips for translating content in the digital context. Covers: what is designing for translation, language choice, plain language, layout, and Imagery. References an article called Cultural Implications of Translation. 

    FEMA Fires Group for Nonsensical Alaska Native Translations - This story emphasizes the need for quality assurance checks by contractors and community review of translations. “Colonization used stripping Indigenous peoples of their languages as a tool of oppression and then punished them for speaking their languages. So when a government agency like FEMA makes mistakes like this, it reopens those wounds.” -Tatiana Elejalde  

  • Weglot.com allows you to to translate, display, and manage a multilingual website with full editing control. (Thanks Pilar!) 

PREPAREDNESS

  • Nurturely, a non-profit in Eugene, is working on a lactation/infant nutrition in disasters project. Their mission is to promote equity in perinatal wellness and strengthen cultures of support for infants and caregivers through preventative knowledge-sharing, collaborative exploration, and proactive community engagement.

  • In a major emergency or disaster, lo​cal child welfare offices need to know where all children in care are located. ​Oregon resource (foster) parents must contact 211 within 24 hours of an emergency or disaster. Learn more. 

  • Interview with Vance Taylor from California about staying safe during power outages.

ALERT & WARNING

  • Risk Communication 101: Forecast and Warning from NOAA and the Institute for Public Policy Research & Analysis at the University of Oklahoma. It includes yearly data (from 2017-2022) on how different demographics receive info during disasters (TV, radio, web, etc.).

  • Bomb Cyclone? Or Just Windy with a Chance of Hyperbole? When the barometer drops, the volume of ‘hyped words’ rises, and many meteorologists aren’t happy about it. (NYT) “The widespread use of colorful terms like “bomb cyclone” and “atmospheric river,” along with the proliferating categories, colors and names of storms and weather patterns, has struck meteorologists as a mixed blessing: good for public safety and climate-change awareness but potentially so amplified that it leaves the public numb to or unsure of the actual risk.”

DECEMBER 2022

ACCESSIBILITY

PREPAREDNESS

  • The Portland Pearl District Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) has done a lot of preparedness planning for “vertical neighborhoods” (tall apartment/condo buildings). 

  • FEMA has released a summary of the 2022 National Household Survey. 

    • It says, “Data was collected from respondents using a mix of telephone interviews and web surveys in English and Spanish. The NHS measures the preparedness of the American public across the whole community.” Laura’s commentary: This seems contradictory. If it’s only done by phone and web surveys and only in two languages, it cannot represent the whole community.

OCTOBER 2022

CLIMATE CHANGE

Access and Functional Needs

  • The Red Cross ASL Disaster Resource Hub includes videos for deaf or hard-of-hearing adults and children, as well as parents and caregivers. The collection also includes survivor stories, PSA-style videos, and resources to help American Red Cross volunteers, staff, and partners who do not know ASL improve interactions with those in the Deaf Community. Their Cultural Intelligence video provides a solid foundation for first responders, non-profits, and local, state, and federal partners to help improve service and interactions with the Deaf Community. 

Earthquakes

September 2022

Access AND Functional Needs

  • The HERO Kids Registry will launch on October 1st. This voluntary, no-cost, secure registry lets families record critical details about their child's health. First responders and hospital emergency departments across Oregon can quickly and easily access that information in an emergency.

  • FEMA has a new Community Resilience Index (CRI), which is displayed within the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT) as an index, as well as layers per individual indicator. 

Earthquakes

  • Recent research provides more evidence to support “Drop Cover Hold” as Response to Earthquake Early Warning as a response to Earthquake Early Warning. (FEMA)

    • “Evidence suggests that most injuries occur from movement just after shaking begins…In one of the few studies about injuries in the Pacific Northwest, Kano (2005) showed that during the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the main reason for reported injuries was falls (1 death, 400 injuries).”

    • “Additional injuries occurred from bricks falling just outside of buildings…In California earthquakes, such as the 1987 Whittier Narrows, 1989 Loma Prieta, and 1994 Northridge earthquakes, studies found that injuries sustained while exiting a building and from falls accounted for the majority of injuries…”

    • “According to Shoaf and others (1998), who studied a decade of earthquakes in California, people who moved during shaking were twice as likely to be injured as those who did not.” 

    • “Although more evidence is required for the Pacific Northwest, existing research suggests that staying stationary is one of the most constructive protective actions. Because most injuries occur when people try to move during earthquake shaking, drop, cover, and hold on…has been adopted as the preferred method to reduce injuries in the United States.”

August 2022

Alert & warning

  • PublicAlerts.org has an updated About Alerts page that includes a chart and new content explaining the differences between PublicAlerts/OR-ALERT, WEA, and EAS. A 1-page handout will be available soon.

General Risk Communication

Wildfire

Extreme heat

Other

JUNE 2022 

Alert & warning

Wildfire

Extreme Weather

Access and functional needs

May 2022

Language access

  • A new map helps visualize language access needs in the State of Washington.

  • Translation management/memory software helps with standardization, consistency, cost savings, efficiency, and the subjectivity of language translation. Make edits to the English version and it automatically tags the translated versions so you can easily update. It embeds styles in documents, tags items for translators, and tags “fuzzy matches” so you can see other similar instances. Brands we know of (but do not endorse) include Smarling and One2Edit.

  • Plain language tools help ensure risk communication can be understood by those with low literacy and lead to more accurate automated translations. Brands we know of (but do not endorse) include StyleWriter and Grammarly. These are much better than Flesch-Kincaid and other tools in Microsoft Word. They are not a substitute for PIOs and others getting quality plain language training (plainlanguage.gov/training).

Extreme heat