The March earthquake, tsunami, and radiation disaster in Japan offers a stark reminder of the need to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters. While most of the public's attention is focused on transportation and energy infrastructure needs, an equally important but often neglected aspect of civil preparedness is developing the proper communication infrastructure in advance of a crisis. To address this need, the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy's Research Director Mark Latonero is helping the Center for National Policy to develop the necessary communications strategies and social media approach to prepare the public for emergencies and natural disasters. As……
Tag: earthquake
Communication technology serves as a rare bright spot in Haitian recovery, CCLP research trip finds
The Republic of Haiti continues to struggle in its recovery efforts following the devastating January 2010 earthquake, but information and communication technologies are among the few infrastructure bright spots in the country, based on the observations from a recent fact-finding trip, in which the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) participated. CCLP Research Director Mark Latonero, who was selected for the week-long research project because of his work in communication technology and emergency management, found that cell phones and text messages were critical tools for sharing information about recovery efforts in the earthquake ravaged country. "Port-au-Prince still……