Radio Dramatizes Disaster Threats

A new radio series broadcast throughout Central America tells listeners in high-risk areas how earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions can devastate communities unless they are adequately prepared to cope with natural hazards.

The radio dramas, titled "Tremors of the Heart," began airing in late 2003. They were based on the popular radio series "Hurricane Season," which aired in 2002. Both series were sponsored by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations Development Program, and the Coordination Center for Natural Disaster Prevention in Central America, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The radio dramas tell fictional stories that illustrate how a community's level of preparedness helps determine the impact a disaster can have on its residents. In each of three short radio soap operas, listeners hear the story of what happens before, during and after a natural disaster. When a central character in the storyline is deeply affected by the natural event, he or she is spurred into action and undergoes a personal transformation that has a positive impact on the environment as well as the individual.

The series is intended to raise people's awareness about the kinds of natural hazards that surround them, the need for preparedness, and the urgency of sound decision-making. The dramas explore such issues as personal and family self-improvement, respect for nature, community organization and solidarity, gender roles, and migration.

The 2002 series generated a number of community activities aimed at improving organization for disaster management. In Honduras, for example, weekend meetings were organized to discuss the latest broadcasts, and several communities drafted area risk maps and emergency plans. In the San Carlos region of Costa Rica, the dramas were included in the curricula of secondary schools.

In addition to Central America, the broadcasts have also reached listeners in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela.

According to a listener survey carried out by participating radio stations, the majority of the radio dramas' listeners are women—predominantly homemakers —followed by students of all ages. Many respondents compared the radio dramas with the experience of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, saying they believed that the magnitude of losses from that disaster could have been reduced had the radio series been broadcast before the hurricane and had communities been more prepared.