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Lack of communication costs lives – researchers now want to change how we warn of natural hazards.

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General warnings are no longer enough as extreme weather, fires and floods become more common. Researchers are now calling for a change; from mass mailings to personalized alerts that actually get people to act.

Every year, natural hazards claim thousands of lives worldwide. Despite advanced warning systems, it happens time and time again that people do not act in time. The problem is not a lack of technology, but how the warnings are communicated. This is stated in a new research article in Nature Human Behaviour.

"A warning that does not lead to action is in practice a failure," Giuliano Di Baldassarre, professor of hydrology at the Department of Earth Sciences and co-author of the article points out. The next big step in disaster risk reduction must be psychological and social – not just technical.

From general alarms to individualized advice
Today's early warning systems are often based on general messages to large groups. But research shows that people's behaviour, situation and conditions vary greatly – and that this determines how they react to warnings. The researchers therefore propose that the UN's global initiative Early Warnings for All (EW4All) be further developed into Early Warnings for All and You (EW4All+U), with the possibility of supplementing warnings with personalized, actionable information. It may be that the warning takes into account where you are, how mobile you are, whether you have children or elderly relatives with you – and gives concrete advice based on your particular situation.

"It's not enough to say that something is dangerous. People need to know exactly what to do, when and how – based on their own circumstances, says Ilias Pechlivanidis, associate professor, researcher and project manager at SMHI 's Hydrological Research Unit and visiting researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences and main author of the article.

Read the full article in Nature Human Behaviour

Read the press release from Uppsala university (in swedish ) here