Digging Into Disaster Communication With Dennis John Sumaylo

This episode features a conversation with disaster communication specialist, Dr Dennis John Sumaylo. It was recorded in June 2023.

In his work, Dennis investigates the intersection of pre-disaster communication and community engagement in the context of geographic isolation and socio-economic inequalities.

Examining these issues has helped him design multimodal and gamified learning tools for supplementing disaster risk reduction classes in the Philippines.

His new book, entitled, Engaging Isolated Communities in Disaster Preparation and Communication in the Philippines is published through Springer Nature, explores social power, relationships, and experiences as avenues to community engagement in pre-disaster communication.

Amongst other things, Dennis and I discussed a range of real-world audiences and the ways that their respective experiences with disasters impact their communications needs, we delved into the roles of trust and power in disaster communication, and the value of a media spotlight when it comes to disaster recovery and relief.

Additional links:

Dennis’ book Engaging Isolated Communities in Disaster Preparation and Communication in the Philippines

The fantastic book on climate communication that led me to Dennis’ work