Identifying gaps in early warning mechanisms and evacuation procedures for tsunamis in Sri Lanka, with a special focus on the use of social media

Abstract

Purpose The current National Early Warning System for Sri Lanka (NEWS: SL) was established after the devastations of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. Although early warning (EW) systems and evacuation procedures are in place, several areas which need improvements have been emphasized in recent studies carried out in the country. Therefore, this paper aims to outline the gaps in existing EW and EP related to tsunami and other coastal hazards with a special focus on the use of social media for disaster communication based on age groups. Design/methodology/approach This study has drawn on a review of past studies carried out by the same research team to identify the scope of the study. In addition to that, a conceptual framework was developed for the use of social media in the event of a disaster. Based on this conceptual framework, an online questionnaire was administered to identify the current status of the use of social media in Sri Lanka during a disaster situation. In total, 408 responses were collected and analyzed using the binary logistic regression method to evaluate the variation of different predictors associated with the use of social media for disaster communication. Findings Findings of the study revealed that the use of social media for disaster communication depends on the previous experience of users and their age. The gender of users does not affect the use of social media for disaster communication. Therefore, the accuracy and timeliness of disaster information distributed via social media should be improved further to enhance the use of social media for disaster communication. Moreover, the findings have highlighted unaddressed issues in areas such as governance; communication of technical agencies; evacuation and shelters; and response of the community. Originality/value This paper has identified key areas that need attention in the process of enhancing the use of social media for disaster communication. More use of technological platforms such as social media for receiving disaster-related information can address issues such as bottlenecks in communication, poor awareness and lack of last-mile dissemination. Furthermore, this paper has proposed recommendations for addressing the identified gaps in the overall EW mechanisms and EP pertaining to tsunamis and other coastal hazards to enhance the coastal disaster resilience in Sri Lanka.

Evaluating the network of stakeholders in Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems for multiple hazards amidst biological outbreaks: Sri Lanka as a case in point

“…However, at the moment, there are several issues in existing early warning mechanisms in Sri Lanka that have been brought to light by previous studies. Accordingly even before COVID-19, there have been issues such as lack of public trust due to low accuracy, lack of clarity and false predictions, and lack of use of technological platforms [ 30 , 31 , 41 ]. Insights from key informant interviews reveals that during the third wave of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, technical agencies have faced several challenges that reduce the effectiveness of the information shared by them.…”

“…According to recent studies, preparedness planning pertaining to biological hazards in Sri Lanka is a public health sector-led process. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health has a higher ability to control information and contact stakeholders in the event of a biological outbreak [ [3] , [4] , [5] , 30 , 31 , 52 ]. However, the engagement of the Ministry of Health has shown some deficiency in the response mechanism for multiple hazards scenarios, and it needs to be further strengthened by inculcating a multi-sectoral approach.…”

“…Moreover, NGOs focus more on the special needs of vulnerable communities in disaster management activities. According to recent studies, DM activities in the country lack attention towards the special needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations [ 30 , 41 ]. In this regard, DM officials can get the support of NGOs who are mandated for addressing the needs of vulnerable communities.…”

“…Both authorities and the public community are responsible for these gaps and issues [ 28 , 41 ]. Furthermore, recent studies show that activities such as risk communication, risk assessments, and preparedness and response planning related to biological hazards mainly depend on the public health sector [ 3 , 31 ]. The need for emulating multi-sectoral approaches to mitigate the impacts of biological hazards and potential cascading impacts is significantly highlighted.…”

How do women face the emergency following a disaster? A PRISMA 2020 systematic review

“…The articles selected for analysis were heterogenous in terms of the methodologies they employed (see Table 1). While there is no clear predominant approach, there are more works of a quantitative character (Bateman and Edwards 2002;Soetanto et al 2017;Cvetković et al 2018;Rohli et al 2018;Augustine et al 2019;Oliveira et al 2020;Wei et al 2020;Jayasekara et al 2021;Khan et al 2021;Lachlan et al 2021) compared with those taking a qualitative approach (Cupples 2007;Hamilton and Halvorson 2007;Dhungel and Ojha 2012;Tyler and Fairbrother 2018;Hou and Wu 2020;Walker et al 2020;De Silva 2021;Dema Moreno et al 2022) or those employing a mixed methodology (Bradshaw 2001;Alam and Collins 2010;Silver and Andrey 2014;Whittaker et al 2016;Reyes and Lu 2017;Kang et al 2021;Oktari et al 2021).…”