Mitigation and preparedness in disaster communication: Examining the need for closing the loop in the discourse of renewal theory

Flooding across rural Appalachia has historically negatively impacted communities, and flood frequency is only expected to increase in the region as global temperatures rise. This indicates a need for effective disaster and crisis communication in flood-prone communities within the region. The discourse of renewal and readiness for renewal theories provide potential avenues for improving crisis and disaster communication. Readiness for renewal in particular focuses on closing the gap between the pre and post-crisis phases. However, readiness for renewal has yet to be applied to disaster communication and has not been studied qualitatively. Additionally, ethical guidelines for communication within renewal have not been comprehensively studied. The purpose of this research was to explore and expand on disaster communication theory while informing practice by applying the lens of renewal discourse and readiness for renewal to natural disasters across two rural West Virginia communities from the perspective of care-based disaster communication. To do so, in-depth interviews with floodplain managers, county emergency managers, city emergency managers, local government officials, volunteer organization directors, and other community leaders were conducted and analyzed. Results from this research add to the theoretical development connecting readiness for renewal, ethics of care, risk and disaster communication, and public interest communication within related scholarship, and provide insight and recommendations that can be applied to the practical world