Chapter 3 Communication in Post-Disaster Reconstruction

• Policy Makers
• Lead Disaster Agency
• Communications Specialists
  

Guiding Principles for Communication in Reconstruction

• Effective communication in a reconstruction project is not about what governments and project managers “say,” but what beneficiaries “hear.”
• Two-way information flow builds trust, consensus, and active participation, key factors for positive outcomes in development programs, and limits the potential for setbacks and misunderstandings.
• An understanding of people’s perceptions is crucial to designing a communications strategy since these perceptions can dominate behavior, whether or not it seems rational to an outsider.
• The cultural and social context affects communications. Inadequate or improper understanding of this context can create risks to project implementation.
• The largest benefits from communication are realized when it is made an integral part of a development or reconstruction project from the first day.
• Communication experts should be at the table when decisions about reconstruction are made, giving them access to the information they will need to develop the external messages that support the desired outcomes.
• The communication campaign is always a work in progress that needs to be adapted as additional input is received from stakeholders and on-the-ground results are monitored and evaluated.

The messages that governments and project managers send out to affected communities about reconstruction have less influence over how the communities behave than do the messages that these communities receive, whether from government or other sources. If project managers and communication specialists do not engage stakeholders in the process, they will not be able to formulate messages that will be understood by the people they want to help and the results may be unpredictable.

Strategic communication builds trust, consensus, and active participation, key factors for positive outcomes in development programs. It promotes credibility, transparency, legitimacy, and ownership for the project and ensures that the right messages are reaching all relevant stakeholders.^[1] Particularly in a post-disaster situation, good communication is the foundation for acceptance, sustainability, and mutual understanding when rebuilding people’s lives. This chapter shows why communication should be initiated as early as possible in reconstruction projects and provides project managers, partner organizations, and governments with tools and guidelines for development and carrying out a successful communications strategy. The communications strategy used after the 2005 North Pakistan earthquake is used to illustrate many of the points made in the chapter.

1. Government should decide on the lead agency to develop and coordinate the post-disaster communications strategy and assign staff to implement it. Other public agencies and levels of government may also designate focal points for communications activities.
2. The lead communications agency should decide with the lead disaster agency whether there is a need for technical assistance or institutional strengthening in communications, how the communications strategy will be financed, and whether and how to mobilize additional resources.
3. The lead communications agency should decide with the lead disaster agency whether communications should be included as an element of the initial post-disaster assessment.
4. The lead communications agency should decide what assessments need to be conducted before defining the communications strategy.
5. The lead communications agency should confer with key stakeholders and the local private communications sector to agree on the role of the community, local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector in defining and implementing the communications strategy.
6. Agencies involved in reconstruction and other key stakeholders should agree on the outcomes that are being sought from the community (disaster risk reduction [DRR], changes in construction practices, community participation, etc.) and on the messages and forms of communications that should be used.
7. The lead communications agency should collaborate with agencies involved in reconstruction and other stakeholders to design the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan for the project communications strategy and agree on feedback mechanisms to be used during reconstruction.
   

• One-way communication: the practice of disseminating information. Messages are put out to inform recipients about the reconstruction process.
• Two-way communication: a model that allows project managers, governments, and all other stakeholders to communicate with each other about the reconstruction process.
  

These may seem to be opposing approaches, but they are not. In post-disaster situations, the need for information dissemination and dialogue are both pressing. Project managers and government officials should agree as early as possible on a communications strategy that includes—as appropriate to the communications culture of the location—both one-way and two-way elements.

Communication should also be viewed as contributing to other goals of the reconstruction program, including transparency, accountability, good governance, community participation, consensus- and trust-building, and as mitigating risks, such as corruption, excess bureaucracy, and political and reputational risks, for agencies such as the World Bank and government.^[4] The case study on the Nation of the Cree, below, demonstrates how inadequate communications can delay a development project.

Ideally, the lead communications agency has the internal expertise to coordinate all communication activities, including assessment, strategy definition, and implementation. However, assistance may be needed. Resources can include staff seconded from international organizations or experts hired externally. The World Bank has development communication specialists who can help government conduct the CBA or CNA and define the communications strategy.

Communication experts should be part of the reconstruction decision-making process. They should develop protocols for communication with the affected population and should have access to the information that allows them to develop the external messages that support the desired outcomes.

The lead communications agency may also have a role in facilitating information flow within government and among government, donors and other agencies involved in recovery and reconstruction. By developing protocols for government communication with partners and maintaining institutional relationships, the agency can help improve the consistency among institutions of both the messages to the affected community and the actual implementation on the ground.

Communities affected by the North Pakistan earthquake were spread out over 20,000 sq. km. of mountainous and rough terrain. Most communication infrastructure, including radio and television, was damaged or destroyed. Within weeks, the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) and the donor community realized that a large communication effort was necessary to start an efficient owner-driven rural housing reconstruction project. A CBA was conducted by ERRA with support from a communication specialist working with the World Bank-administered Water and Sanitation Program in India. The CBA concluded that people would need to be motivated to rebuild their lives and would have to be sensitized to new and safer methods of building homes in this disaster-prone area. Survivors were rooted in a very traditional and—from an outsider’s point of view—conservative lifestyle. Traumatized by high levels of mortality and destruction, people feared that their value system was also threatened. The reconstruction strategy, therefore, had to address prejudices and fears over “new ways.”

Sources: Vandana Mehra, M. Waqas Hanif, and Moncef Bouhafa, 2008, “Strategic Communications and ERRA: Overall Approach,” (Presentation, February 28); and Vandana Mehra, 2009, personal conversation.

A CBA is used to identify knowledge, perceptions, fears, and expectations of the main stakeholders and contextual and situational knowledge, much of which cannot be easily detected with other forms of assessment. An understanding of stakeholders’ perceptions is crucial to designing a communications strategy since these perceptions can dominate behavior, whether it seems rational to an outsider or not. A CBA captures this qualitative information and can help government and other agencies tailor the communications strategy for the reconstruction program. But more than that, it also provides knowledge that can be used to improve the design of reconstruction projects. Using this type of information helps ensure broader impact and sustainability of interventions and helps mitigate political and reputational risks. See Annex 2, Culture and Other Contextual Factors in Communication.

The critical areas to analyze and understand to develop an effective communications strategy are listed briefly in the following table. For detailed instructions on conducting a CBA, see Annex 1 of this chapter, How to Do It: Conducting a Communication-Based Assessment.^[5]

Timing the assessment. World Bank research shows clearly that the largest benefit of strategic communication is gained when communication is considered an integral part of the project or program from its inception.^[7]  Ideally, a CBA is conducted as an integral part of the initial multi-sector damage and loss assessment. When the CBA is conducted at a later stage or separately from the initial assessment, governments and project managers should be prepared to make revisions later so that the recommendations of communication specialists can be implemented. Various assessment methodologies are described in Chapter 2, Assessing Damage and Setting Reconstruction Policy.

Time pressure will be great and key actors may consider communications a peripheral concern. Be aware that a focus on speed and physical damage can be costly if perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and expectations are not taken into account.

The communications strategy for a program or project should answer the following questions: Which audiences need to be reached and which stakeholders need to be engaged? What is the required behavior change? What messages are appropriate? Which channels/tools of communication will be most effective? Over what time frame will implementation take place? How will implementation of the communication strategy be monitored and evaluated? Implementation includes all activities necessary to engage stakeholders (for example, design, production, and distribution of communication materials and training and hiring of staff).^[8]

Who should design the strategy? The communication capacity of the lead communications agency needs to be evaluated and, if necessary, complemented by hiring staff or acquiring additional services, whether from outside consultants or staff on secondment from other agencies. An experienced strategic communication specialist should draft and design the strategy in cooperation with project managers and local counterparts with experience in the disaster field. It is advisable that the communication specialists who conducted the assessment be involved in designing the strategy.

Throughout the design phase, the lead communications agency should consult closely with communities to determine whether the strategy is addressing the right audiences and stakeholders with the right messages. The basic steps in designing the communications strategy are the following.

1. Define and formulate the objectives (SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) and then transform those objectives into outcomes.
2. Define primary and secondary stakeholders/audiences.
3. Evaluate whether the changes sought are related to awareness, knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, mobilization, collaboration, or mediation. See Chapter 16, Training Requirements in Reconstruction, to understand the importance of communications in builder training programs.
4. Define whether the communication approaches/tactics are linear, interactive, or both.
5. Select the appropriate media from among those available.
6. Design key content/message and determine the most effective way to package it.
7. Define realistic results for the strategy and develop a means to monitor and evaluate progress toward their achievement.
   

A system to collect feedback should be implemented as part of the plan. Messaging, audiences, and tools will have to be adapted according to feedback from beneficiaries and implementing agencies. Agencies should also share the feedback they are getting. In the case of the Pakistan earthquake, the need for internal communication was quickly recognized, and a meeting schedule, knowledge management cells, and workshops were held to promote unity and synergies among all partners.

Who should implement the strategy? Depending on the institutional situation, a wide set of actors may be involved in implementing the communications strategy, and tasks should be distributed to take advantage of the capabilities of various actors while keeping control of costs. The lead communications agency will be in charge of the overall approach and budget for the campaign. This agency is likely to define scopes of work for any outside firms hired to provide specialized services and to oversee procurement.

Depending on the scope of the disaster, the lead communications agency might delegate the distribution of specific messages to local organizations. For example, implementation at the grassroots level could be carried by local NGOs partnering with local government or by an advertising agency hired to produce and distribute communications material in specific areas. Communities might be asked to select representatives or to form committees that will function as intermediaries with their peers. Religious or tribal leaders may agree to distribute messages in meetings and through social networks.

In the aftermath of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, ERRA and international donors quickly realized the immediate need for communicating with the surviving population, but also recognized that there was little time for developing a proper plan. The level of destruction and the difficult terrain made it hard to disseminate information and to engage with beneficiaries. The lack of information flow in both directions led people to feel frustrated over a perceived slowness in the response.

To bridge this gap, the Pakistani military used helicopters to reach remote areas to distribute information to beneficiaries and to assist with the initial needs assessment. Later, local NGOs partnered with the firm that was hired by ERRA to produce and disseminate information and assisted with implementation at the grassroots level. When radio and television were restored, the firm implemented all mass media aspects of the campaign. Culturally acceptable “heroes” were developed for educational radio shows. These characters were immensely popular. For example, a wise mason was created for posters, and he became a lead figure for “correct construction.” In the early days of the campaign, the radio show addressed concerns of beneficiaries, expressed either to the local authorities or via a help line set up to answer questions.

This case demonstrates how, in some cases, the urgency of a situation does not permit development of a fully sequenced communication action plan. Sometimes initiatives have to be implemented ad hoc, while an actual plan (in this case, mainly the hiring of an advertising firm) is still being developed.

Source: Vandana Mehra, World Bank, 2009, personal conversation.

Hiring consultants will be one of the first and most pressing tasks. The terms of reference (TOR) must be specific to the disaster and the requirements of the project. Three main guiding principles should apply: (1) the TORs should contain sufficient background information on the project to enable consultants to present responsive proposals, (2) the scope of work should be consistent with the available budget, and (3) the TORs should take into account the organization of the implementing agency and its level of technical expertise and institutional strength.^[11] This chapter provides guidance for developing the scope of work.

The very nature of a post-disaster communication project will require personnel to show a high degree of flexibility and willingness to adapt to demanding circumstances. More than in non-disaster projects, the communication specialist to be hired should understand crisis communications, political risk management, and internal communications, and should have coordination skills. Other beneficial skills include stakeholder mapping and engagement, communications for operations, media management, spokesperson/presentation skills, and donor engagement.^[12] 

Practitioners should establish ways to receive periodic feedback from stakeholders to be responsive to the highly contextual nature of the initiative. Often, the lead disaster response agency does not have the capacity to analyze the information it receives. It is important to set up an internal system of information sharing, ranging from an IT system to regular information exchange meetings that allow for vertical and horizontal flow of input. This will help making necessary and meaningful changes to the project and the communications strategy at an early stage and throughout the project cycle.

The challenging environment created by the 2005 North Pakistan earthquake and the need for fast dissemination of information made it difficult to develop complex standards and benchmarks for the evaluation process. However, ERRA realized that it was important to monitor feedback to detect information gaps and to adapt its information campaign. ERRA focused on analyzing calls it received at its Islamabad offices from the 24-hour help lines that had been established all over the affected area. The feedback, questions, and comments people provided helped ERRA determine the level of understanding on the side of beneficiaries and, indirectly, whether the information campaign and stakeholder engagement had been effective. The communication team at ERRA updated its Web site and other information material accordingly. The results were shared with program managers who were able to address the issues raised by callers. Very often, a query or concern that was voiced by several people could be addressed through a very popular interactive radio show. ERRA also set up an internal knowledge management mechanism that allowed for easy access to information at all administrative levels.

Source: Raja Rehan Arshad, 2008, “Lessons and Experiences from Disaster Recovery in Pakistan” (presentation for “Workshop on Consultations and Strategic Communications in Water and Sanitation Sector in East and South Asia,” Bangkok, March 31–April 7).

• Missing the full picture in conducting the damage and loss assessment by asking only quantifiable questions and using only one-way communication.
• Government focuses on media relations and overlooks the social aspects of communication.
• Leaving post-disaster communications to a central disaster agency that lacks the capacity and skills to design and execute the communications strategy.
• Project teams believe that they know what the affected population wants without asking, and design reconstruction projects that do not appeal to the affected population.
• Assuming that if the basic goal of a reconstruction program (rebuilding homes) is widely accepted, then all other aspects of the project (management, assistance policies, intended behavior change, and reconstruction approach) are widely accepted as well.
• Not understanding the context and contextual factors and how they affect reconstruction (for example, language barriers, perceptions of corruption, ability of religious groups to work together).
• Attempting to implement a communications strategy inconsistent with normal communications culture (for example, highly dialogue-driven in a country with a history of top-down communication).
• Underfunding communication activities.
  

1. See communications in housing reconstruction as a tool that can improve stakeholder participation and ultimately the suitability of the outcomes.
2. At the same time, realize that two-way communication (dialogue) is not only about achieving a project’s objectives, but also about giving voice and dignity to vulnerable and marginalized people.
3. Do not allow the urgency to implement a reconstruction program to shortchange implementation of the communications strategy.
4. Adopt a multi-track, dialogue-driven communications strategy that allows beneficiaries to provide input, ideas, and feedback, rather than employing a one-way (information dissemination) approach.
5. In developing the communications strategy, focus first on the messages that will be effective with people before selecting which media to use to disseminate those messages.
6. Adapt communication tools to the targeted audience and its preferred and trusted ways of communicating.
7. Tailor the communications strategy to reflect contextual variables.
8. Incorporate communications as early as possible in the process and sustain it throughout the project cycle. Be willing to redefine and adapt the strategy during the project as results are realized.
9. Ensure that communications within government and with other funders is open and results in a unified message to the affected population.
10. Incorporate feedback about the effectiveness of the communications strategy in a timely manner to improve reconstruction outcomes.
    

In the aftermath of the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran, there was a need for an active exchange of information and viewpoints between the affected communities and local authorities. To that end, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported a community-based information management and communications initiative. This initiative became particularly important after people’s perception of a lack of information on the distribution of relief items provoked demonstrations in front of public offices early in 2004 in Bam. The aim of the communications initiative was to empower the affected communities through participation and enhanced access to information on recovery and reconstruction using information and communications technologies (ICT). Information on government policies and activities, updated damage reports, entitlements, land status, and rehabilitation schemes was made available, using an information Web site in Persian, print and electronic information products, and ICT-based kiosks and information boards located throughout the affected areas. The project produced and published a biweekly newsletter with the help of local volunteers trained as journalists (all of whom have become professional journalists in the area). The Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation supported the initiative, which was replicated later following the Zarand (2005) and Lorestan (2006) earthquakes, with initial support from the UNDP and subsequent support from the Housing Foundation of the Islamic Revolution. Activities in these cases also included information centers and notice boards, and distribution of such products as a pamphlet on “dos” and “don’ts” before, during, and after earthquakes.

Source:  Victoria Kianpour, UNDP Iran, 2009, personal communication, http://www.undp.org.ir/.

In the early 1990s, after years of disagreement and diverging views over one of the world’s largest energy infrastructure programs, the indigenous Cree population of Northern Quebec forced Hydro-Quebec, a leading company in the energy sector, to halt construction all together. According to John Paul Murdoch, Legal Counsel of the Cree Nation, Hydro-Quebec faced construction delays of almost 20 years and had to spend an additional US$268 million to adequately address communication gaps, concerns over mercury pollution, and potential loss of livelihoods to the Cree. Murdoch told an audience at a World Bank Energy Week in 2005 that the failure to communicate properly had become costly for the company. In 2002, Hydro-Quebec and the Cree Nation entered a “New Relationship Agreement” that addresses concerns over safety, economic and social benefits, and a mechanism for a permanent standing liaison committee, paving the way for the project to proceed.

Sources: Paolo Mefalopulos, 2008, Development Communication Sourcebook, Broadening the Boundaries of Communication (Washington, DC: World Bank). p. 136; and John Paul Murdoch, “The Value of Communications” (conference presentation, World Bank, March 14, 2005), http://irispublic.worldbank.org/85257559006C22E9/All+Documents/85257559006C22E985256FFF007255D2/$File/Mafia_EW05.pdf.

Inagaki, Nobuya. 2007. “Communicating the Impact of Communication for Development. Recent Trends in Empirical Research.” World Bank Working Paper No. 120. (Washington, DC: World Bank). http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/08/10/000310607_20070810123306/Rendered/PDF/405430Communic18082137167101PUBLIC1.pdf.

Kalathil, Shanthi, John Langlois, and Adam Kaplan. 2008. “Towards a New Model: Media and Communications in Post-Conflict and Fragile States. Communication for Government and Accountability Program.” Washington, DC: World Bank. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTDEVCOMMENG/EXTGOVACC/0,,contentMDK:21768613~pagePK:64168445~piPK:64168309~theSitePK:3252001,00.html.

Mafalopulos, Paolo. 2008. Development Communication Sourcebook, Broadening the Boundaries of Communication. Washington, DC: World Bank.  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVCOMMENG/Resources/DevelopmentCommSourcebook.pdf.

Mazzei, Leonardo and Gianmarco Scuppa. 2006. “The Role of Communication in Large Infrastructure. The Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone.” World Bank Working Paper No. 84. Washington, DC: World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVCOMMENG/Resources/wpsierraleoneebook.pdf.

World Bank. 2005. “A Toolkit for Procurement of Communication Activities in World Bank Financed Projects.” Washington, DC: World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVCOMMENG/Resources/toolkitENfinal.pdf.

World Bank. “Development Communication.” http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTDEVCOMMENG/0,,contentMDK:21460410~menuPK:490442~pagePK:34000187~piPK:34000160~theSitePK:423815,00.html.

How to Do It

To avoid duplicating efforts, cooperate closely with the local and international relief community and government agencies (not only groups working in the shelter field). When the United Nations cluster system has been activated, the Humanitarian Information Centre (http://www.humanitarianinfo.org) will be both a source of information and a platform for sharing information that is collected.

The assessment should identify and analyze all relevant aspects of the social context. An open-minded approach at the beginning of the assessment is crucial for grasping the complexity of the entire situation. Annex 2, Culture and Other Contextual Factors in Communication, suggests social factors that form part of the context in which communications takes place, and may be important to consider.^[13]