How do you warn them if they speak only Spanish? Challenges for organizations in communicating risk to Colonias residents in Texas, USA

Bibliographic Data

ID15308146
AuthorsSudha Arlikatti (0000-0002-1214-1500, University of North Texas, corresponding author), Hassan Taibah (0000-0002-1706-3580, University of North Texas), Hassan A Taibah, Simon A Andrew (University of North Texas)
Year2014
Volume23
Issue5
Pages533-550
Publication date2014-10-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDisaster Prevention and Management An International Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0965-3562 • E-ISSN: 1758-6100
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/dpm-02-2014-0022
OpenAlexW1982163257
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited22

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the information channels used by public and nonprofit organizations to communicate disaster risk information to Colonias residents in Hidalgo County, Texas. It seeks to find creative and proactive solutions for organizations to improve risk education to these constituents. Design/methodology/approach – Initially a snowball sampling technique was used to conduct six face-to-face interviews. This was followed by an online survey sent to 64 reputational referrals, of which 23 completed the survey, generating a response rate of 34 percent. A comparative analysis between public and nonprofit organizations and the Fischer's exact test were employed to analyze the data. Findings – Channel preferences for providing risk information varied with public organizations using the television (TV) and the nonprofit organizations using bilingual staff for outreach. The television, radio, public events, and bilingual staff were considered to be the most effective while social media (Facebook, Twitter, and city web sites) was not considered at all by both groups. Lack of funding and staffing problems were identified as the primary challenges. Research limitations/implications – One limitation is that the paper focusses on organizations serving Spanish speakers in the Texas Colonias . Future research needs to investigate how other localities at border sites where culturally and linguistically diverse groups might reside, receive and understand risk information. The role of cross-national organizations in creating internationally coordinated plans for disaster communication should also be explored. Originality/value – It highlights the challenges faced by organizations in communicating risk, especially in border communities where culturally and linguistically diverse groups reside

Business · Creativity · Originality · Outreach · Political science · Public relations · Snowball sampling · Social media · Staffing · Disaster Management and Resilience · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Risk Perception and Management · Social Psychology · Marketing

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