community-based disaster risk management and the media media kit

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MEDIA KIT
vulnerabilities and risks and how they would like to get involved in
government and NGO programs.
The Role of the Media DURING a Disaster (Crisis Phase)
During the occurrence of any disaster, the focus is to save as many lives
as possible and avoid the risks from any secondary hazards. Damage
and loss assessment, and provision of emergency assistance (food,
water, clothing, shelter, fi rst aid, search and rescue and evacuation of
trapped populations) are the immediate priorities of disaster managers.
During a disaster crisis, the government (through the NDMO) will
normally provide information to the media on the basic facts about
the disaster and the actions being taken by the authorities. However,
in frequent cases, the information relayed might be incomplete.
Considering the range of players involved in an emergency response
and the fast changing situation, it may be diffi cult for the authorities to
keep track of everything and share that information with the media. It
is therefore important that the media communicate with all the local,
national, and international partners to get appropriate information and
keep the general public accurately informed. The key players involved
in an emergency response may include the government, police, military,
civil defense, Red Cross, NGOs, UN (OCHA, WFP, FAO, UNHCR,
UNDP, and UNICEF) and others depending upon the nature of the
disaster.
The media can perform the following functions during an emergency
situation:
1. Inform the public with timely and factual information: this
includes provision of information about what happened or the extent
of the disaster, the losses caused and the current situation of the
hazard.
2. Advice the public about actions to be taken: The public can
undertake a range of actions during the emergency period in order
to avoid further losses. The media can provide relevant information
for emergency and precautionary measures, e.g. evacuation, areas
they should not go to, water purifi cation techniques for safe drinking
water.