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An Analysis of Media Resources during Typhoon Hagibis

2021; Volume: 9; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.12691/ajphr-9-2-4

2327-669X

Youichi Yanagawa, Hiromichi Ohsaka, Kei Jitsuiki,

Public Relations and Crisis Communication

Background: The passage of typhoon Hagibis over Izunokuni City, where our hospital is located, resulted in the city essentially becoming an island due to flooding and landslides. Objectives: To examine the sources used to obtain information on typhoon Hagibis with respect to the storm itself, safety, and health issues and to present data resources that can be used for disaster emergency mitigation among health workers. Methods: The survey inquired about respondents’ age, sex, and occupation and asked the media to receive information about typhoon Hagibis and on damage induced by the typhoon in Izunokuni City. Results: The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 65 years old and the number of males was 97 and females 160. The number of clerks was 198, doctors 49, and nurses 10. The most frequently reported medium for obtaining information on the typhoon and damage induced by the typhoon in Izunokuni City were the television, followed by the internet (search engines like Yahoo or Google) and social networking services (SNSs). Conclusion: Television remains an important tool, but the internet and SNSs, have become similarly useful for obtaining information on disasters provided electric power is still available. One key point to consider in the future might be inter-connection through certain services between classic media and internet-based media for distributing information on disasters.