Crisis communication & natural disasters: Communication plan for Rome, Italy in the case of an earthquake

This paper explores the present natural disasters crisis communications findings and best practices, and applies them to develop the ideal crisis communication plan for Italy in the case of an earthquake disaster. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to address the Italian government's significant lack of earthquake crisis communication preparedness, by providing guidelines for the best crisis communication plan that the country can implement on its most vulnerable regions. Rome, Italy was chosen because of the city's considerable volume of valuable historic monuments and high tourism traffic, making it highly susceptible to an earthquake catastrophe. The comparison of California's best practice plans for natural disasters to Italy's current crisis communication plan for Rome, revealed the country's neglect of available and effective new crisis communication tools, particularly social media channels and mobile technologies. The principal conclusion is that facing an earthquake disaster without a prepared strategic crisis communication plan in place, will lead to unfavorable long-term consequences for both victims and government agencies involved in the crisis response and recovery.