The Missing piece. Streamlining Risk and Crisis Communication Governance.

Extreme climate events—such as floods, wildfires, and heat waves—are becoming more frequent and intense, endangering entire communities and compelling individuals to make quick informed decisions to protect themselves, their families, and their livelihoods. How people receive, interpret, and act on information during such events plays a crucial role in saving lives and minimizing damage. Intensifying this complexity is the need for communication coordination among a wide array of stakeholders. Federal, state, and local agencies, alongside volunteers, non-profits, and other community organizations, play distinct yet frequently overlapping roles throughout the process of risk assessment, preparedness, crisis response, recovery, and mitigation. Adopting an integrated, streamlined, and strategic approach to risk and crisis communication governance can significantly amplify the benefits of top-down planning and structural measures, leading to more effective risk reduction and crisis preparedness. This study considers “The Great Vermont Flood of 2023” as a case to analyze risk and crisis communication governance and coordination issues. Interviews were conducted with Vermont Regional Planning Commission leaders, who serve as liaisons between the state and local communities, to identify barriers and opportunities to streamline the flood risk and crisis communication process across the state. Results show the need for more clarity when it comes to roles and, at times, overlapping responsibilities among federal, state, and local actors, leading to inconsistencies in crisis communication, which can cause impacts on vulnerable communities that receive insufficient pre-crisis support. Furthermore, issues with message convergence can create confusion and hinder protective actions. This study describes communication vulnerabilities in VT’s flood hazard communication environment. Opportunities to improve risk and crisis communication, revealed by the study, could mean the difference between appropriate actions and tragedy.