What words signal to community members during disasters

Signal words are a feature of warnings that are used to attract attention and reflect the level of threat (Wogalter, Conzola, & Smith-Jackson, 2002). Four common signal words, presented in order of hazard threat are: danger, warning, caution and notice (Wogalter, Conzola, & Smith-Jackson, 2002). Most studies about signal words are based in the context of chemicals where warning signs on products like household bleach or insecticides can help consumers identify risk and aim to support safe product use (Wogalter, Conzola, & Smith-Jackson, 2002). Yet, recent research in this space holds promise for the transfer of signal words from product or chemical warnings into both short- and long-form risk and warning messages during natural hazard emergencies. Within the chemical and product context, Hellier et al. (2000) diversified to three categories of signal words, comprising i) the quantification of risk such as “warning” and “danger”, ii) behavioural connotations such as “stop” or “don’t”, and iii) product-oriented words like “toxic” and “explosive”. This conceptual advancement and inclusion of behavioural signal words, in particular, has much relevance for emergency alerts or terse messaging issued during natural hazard emergencies (Sutton, League, Sellnow, & Sellnow, 2015). However, existing signal word research often examines words in isolation (e.g., “warning”) despite an acknowledgement that signal words provide insufficient information for decision-making as their subsequent meaning is moderated by further information (e.g., “this is a warning about a likely bushfire threat”) (Hellier, Wright, Edworthy, & Newstead, 2000). Drawing on existing signal word research, the researchers and emergency managers co-designed a set of signal words that reflected their existing and potential use within emergency alert messaging. These words indicated both the quantification of risk (e.g., destructive, unsafe) and a range of behaviours (e.g., act, get out, monitor) and were tested in a national survey of almost 1,000 Australian adults. Participants rated signal words based on their indication of a warning, feeling, and urgency in line with existing literature. Participants also examined signal words in a larger context of linked words (e.g., emergency warning) and within existing emergency alerts for heatwaves, thunderstorm asthma, bushfires and floods. The research provides insights on signal words and their role within a larger context of warnings have the potential to create more effective emergency alerts, which are issued by emergency management organisations in the lead up to and during the response phase of a range of natural hazard emergencies