Effective communication for disaster warnings

New Scientist (21 April 2012) writes that strong warnings have proven to be effective in saving lives during America’s tornado season.

During the 2011 tornado season in America’s Midwest, the National Weather Service (NWS) found the residents waited for visible signs of the threat before responding. In other words, they didn’t believe the warnings until they saw the destruction. Tornado warnings in the past used the following communications: “You should activate your tornado action plan and take protective action now.”

In the first half of April (i.e. in the past two weeks), there have been over 100 tornadoes in the US Midwest, which has been the most severe tornado strike this year. However, the death toll of 6 people has been very low compared with other years. This appears to be a result of the change in disaster warning communications.

After research about how people respond to warnings, the National Weather Service in America tried new warnings this year. In Kansas this year, residents were given the following warning: “Mass destruction is highly likely, making the area unrecognizable to survivors.” It proved to be effective as most people left the tornado-affected areas in time, and quite possibly saved lives.

The new disaster warning message evoked images of the destruction and the tornado’s potential consequences. However, the NWS acknowledges the possibility that the message with “dull” with time as people become immune to its message. Therefore the disaster warning messages will be monitored during further storms for the remainder of the year. But for the time being, strong warnings have been justified.

(www.newscientist.com)

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog