Crisis Communication and Response in an Island Municipality in the Philippines

Abstract

Small island municipalities are generally vulnerable to disasters due to their geographical location, size, and limited resources. How they survive calamities, however, remains less studied, prompting this research on disaster risk communication and response in San Antonio, a fifth-class, typhoon- and storm-surge-prone island municipality in Northern Samar, Philippines. Anchored in the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), the study employed a one-shot survey research design supported by key informant interviews to examine how disaster risk information is communicated and how amplification or attenuation processes shape residents’ risk perception and response. Descriptive and inferential analyses revealed a structured and centralized multi-channel communication system coordinated by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, which achieved 100 percent exposure to life-saving warnings and evacuation notices. Traditional channels, particularly public address systems and house-to- house visits, remained the most effective communication modes due to infrastructural and connectivity limitations in the island municipality. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that trust in disaster risk information significantly influenced both risk perception (β = 0.35, p < .001) and compliance (β = 0.17, p = .001), highlighting the role of credible information sources and the local government unit as institutional amplifiers of disaster response. Communication barriers significantly increased risk perception (β = 0.19, p = .010), suggesting that limited connectivity and information constraints heightened residents’ sense of vulnerability. Risk perception also significantly influenced compliance with preparedness measures (β = 0.16, p = .003). Meanwhile, message quality negatively influenced risk perception (β = –0.09, p = .044), implying that clearer and more accurate communication reduced uncertainty and exaggerated fear. However, message quality did not directly influence compliance (β = –0.01, p = .906), indicating that behavioral response is shaped not only by information clarity but also by social and structural factors. Demographic variables such as age, education, and technological confidence showed no significant effects on either risk perception or compliance. The findings emphasize that disaster risk communication in small island communities is fundamentally relational and community-centered, where trust, local leadership, and traditional communication systems strongly shape public response. To strengthen resilience, the study recommends increased connectivity, capacity building, inter-agency coordination, and the establishment of a centralized two-way handheld radio network linking all barangays to the municipal base.