Interactions of Formal and Informal Community Communications during Natural Disasters: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina for Emergency Preparedness Policy

Introduction: Research on experience of response to hurricane Katrina indicated wide differences in communications between formal governmental systems and individual family social formations. These differences include communication on warning, evacuation transportation, resource access and provision of help to reduce harm and support recovery. However, how individuals and families perceive usefulness and effectiveness of communications with elements of the formal and informal systems has not been well researched. We report our findings on the perceptions of hurricane Katrina survivors regarding their communication with formal and informal systems.

Methods: We define informal communication systems as family and social networks, and formal systems as organizational and governmental entities. Working through a Community Advisory Board that was established, we recruited Katrina survivors in Coastal, Southern and Central Mississippi. A questionnaire was used to collect data including participant's communication network, contact, trust, importance and help received before and during Hurricane Katrina. Associations between communication systems, trust of information, utilization of information and help received were analyzed.

Results: Two hundred and twenty-three participants were recruited. Participants tended to trust information from family members and informal social networks. Also, survivors tended to contact informal sources first and act on information received. The usefulness of communication practices for actual help received was mixed.

Conclusion: Informal communication systems tend to be more trusted and information from them acted on by survivors than formal systems. Policies that enhance the role of informal communication systems and their interaction with formal systems are encouraged for public emergency and disaster preparedness.