Awareness, education and communication for compound natural hazards
You are invited to take part in a research project that explores strategies for awareness, education and communication on compound natural hazards (natural disasters that overlap or closely follow each other).
What is the purpose of this project?
The project will help to create an understanding of the best strategies for awareness, education and communication on compound natural hazards (natural disasters that overlap or closely follow each other). Through engaging with communities, the project will provide a better understanding of their needs, vulnerabilities and responses when they face multiple natural threats at the same time or right after one another. It will also provide a better understanding of how best to engage with communities regarding compound natural hazards to improve their resilience. The project will produce a framework to guide communication with communities before, during and after compound natural hazards to help them prepare, respond, and recover.
Why have I been invited to participate?
You have been invited to take part in the project because you live in a place that has experienced compound natural hazard(s). This means that you can contribute a valuable first-hand account of the awareness, education and communication initiatives that were or were not present before, during and after the event(s).
What will I be asked to do?
If you agree to take part in the project, you will be asked to participate in an online survey asking about your experiences and views on awareness, education and communication before, during and after compound natural hazards, including effective strategies and challenges. The survey will ask for a combination of multiple choice, rating responses and short-form written responses and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous unless you provide personal identifiable information as part of your responses, which is not asked for.
Are there any possible benefits from participation in the project?
It is not expected that your participation in the project will lead to direct personal benefit, and you will not be reimbursed for your involvement. However, by choosing to participate, you will assist in formulating a better understanding of the best strategies for awareness, education and communication on compound natural hazards. The framework which the project will produce is intended to be directly useable by various emergency management agencies to improve communities’ preparation, response and recovery in relation to compound natural hazards.
Are there any possible risks from participation in the project?
We do not anticipate that your participation in the survey will expose you to significant risk. However, we do acknowledge that reflecting on and sharing experiences of compound natural hazards is difficult. The survey will focus on your experiences and views on the awareness, education and communication that were or were not present before, during and after the hazards, and you will not be asked directly about other topics related to your personal experience. You may still find that the survey brings up some painful memories of the event(s) or feelings about the issue.
What can I do if the survey brings up distressing feelings?
The survey will ask you about your experiences of awareness, education and communication in relation to natural hazards and is not intended to be distressing. However, if you do feel distressed while completing the survey, you can stop any time. If you feel distressed after completing the survey, please contact free, nation-wide counselling services, such as Beyond Blue: Tel: 1300 2246 36, https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ or Lifeline: 13 11 14, https://www.lifeline.org.au/
This study has received Deakin University ethics approval (2023-255.).