Disaster Messaging Work Group

The RDPO Disaster Messaging Work Group (DMWG) collaborates to create shared messages for the Portland Metro Region and support community-based messaging efforts.

 

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

Our goal is to create consistent, cohesive, and trauma-informed disaster messaging that meets the language, disability, and cultural needs of the whole community. 

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.


Current projects

CURRENT Projects

FUTURE PROJECTS

  • K-12 School Messaging

  • Systems & Standards in Public Information & Warning

  • Regional alert and warning signup portal alignment

  • Refine Regional Joint Information System procedures

PAST PROJECTS

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 MARCH 2024

  1. Afiq Hisham, Washington County

  2. Alice Busch, Multnomah County

  3. Alita Fitz, Washington County

  4. Amy Wolfe, Multnomah County

  5. Angela Carkner, RDPO

  6. Anna Bergman, Multnomah County

  7. April Davis, Oregon Dept of Emergency Management

  8. Bill Conway, Clackamas County

  9. Bonny Cushman, Regional Water Providers Consortium

  10. Brenna Cruz, Clackamas County

  11. Brook McCall, Aim4Access

  12. Calvin Hoff, Multnomah County

  13. Chris Crabb, Oregon Dept of Emergency Management

  14. Dakota Karlsen, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency

  15. Dan Douthit, City of Portland

  16. Diego Basabe, Multnomah County

  17. Erin Taylor, Aim4Access

  18. Felicia Heaton, City of Portland

  19. Gabriel Hernandez, Multnomah County

  20. Gail Zuro, Multnomah County

  21. Heather Sielicki, 211info

  22. Jacinta Cruz, Health Preparedness Organzation

  23. Jamie Bash, Oregon Health Authority

  24. Jaymee Cuti, City of Portland

  25. Jennifer Stacey, Port of Portland

  26. Jessica Kosydar, Columbia County

  27. Kelle Landavazo, City of Gresham

  28. Kimberlee Ables, Metro

  29. Laura Hall, RDPO

  30. Lauren Frank, Portland State University

  31. Lindsay Wochnick, City of Hillsboro

  32. Lorraine Churchill, Portland Community College

  33. Mark Pacheco, Columbia County

  34. Mary Ellen Winterhalter, Clackamas County

  35. Melissa McKinney, Regional Public Health Preparedness & Response Programs

  36. Pilar Montejo, Regional Public Health Preparedness & Response Programs

  37. Rebecca Marshall, Red Cross

  38. Regina Ingabire, City of Portland

  39. Richard Higgins, Multnomah County

  40. Roberta Mesa, Care Oregon

  41. Sandy Glantz, City of Troutdale

  42. Shaun Brown, Columbia County

  43. Stephanie Yao Long, City of Portland

  44. Suzie Beaupre, Columbia County

  45. Tatiana Elejalde, City of Portland

  46. William Tongsiri, PASA Language Solutions


Standard Operating Procedures

You can learn more about the DMWG background, purpose, goals, roles, responsibilities, and operational processes by reading our Standard Operating Procedures.


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.

Three Steps to Staying Healthy.PNG
Photo credit: Columbia Regional Emergency Services Agency

Photo credit: Columbia Regional Emergency Services Agency

Photo credit: Laura Hall

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.