Communicating with the public during a large crisis

Communication between

Sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or event requiring immediate action.
Note 1 to entry: An emergency is usually a disruption or condition that can often be anticipated or prepared for, but seldom exactly foreseen.

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services and civilians during a

Unstable condition involving an impending abrupt or significant change that requires urgent attention and action to protect life, assets, property or the environment.
 

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is a key element to minimise the number of casualties. Crisis communication aims at 1) alerting and updating the population about an incident or threat; 2) providing advices about desirable behaviour; 3) informing on

Actions taken during or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the basic subsistence needs of the people affected.

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activities to avoid interference and minimise inquiries to active responders; 4) asking for/receiving support from citizens, the bi-directional communication being reinforced by social media support.

The messages have to be clear and unified among responding authorities and understandable by vulnerable groups such as disabled, elderly people, or foreigners. It is a specific challenge in cross-border situations as, across the EU, Member States there is almost no harmonisation towards alarming the population.

References in the literature: The literature is widely addressing crisis communication in general.