CDC Communications during Hurricane Matthew

Background: In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew barreled its way through the Caribbean with its sights set on making landfall along the U.S. southeastern coastline. With a few days to prepare residents for the impending storm, CDC communicators used a strategy that was born out of the agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina – phase-based messaging, a comprehensive body of messages phased in over time. Phase-based messaging is vital to any emergency response communication strategy.

Program background: This presentation will outline how CDC communicators used phase-based messaging, specific to Hurricane Matthew, to quickly create and disseminate accurate preparedness and response messages to the general public.

Evaluation Methods and Results: The presentation will evaluate traditional news media and social media to determine if/how daily coverage and activity reflected the different phases of Hurricane Matthew (e.g., before, during, and after the storm) and the preparedness and response messages we disseminated as a result. For the most part, news media and social media followed the general phases of a hurricane, specific to areas in the path of the storm. However, as communicators, we always look for ways to improve. Questions we will examine will include: (1) do we have the right number of phases; (2) are we working closely with all of our partners to discuss the same topic at the same time to reinforce certain messages; (3) which channels are the best method of message delivery; and (4) how can health communicators address message gaps and timing?

Conclusions: Getting hurricane specific messages and recommendations to the public before, during, and after a storm can help prevent serious injury and death. It is imperative that we incorporate phase-based messaging into our emergency preparedness and response communication strategies if we are to impact public health.

Implications for research and/or practice: Open discussions about how to improve upon the use of phased-based messaging.