Don't Drink the Water: Warning Communication in a Northern Ohio Water Emergency

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During many natural disasters and industrial accidents, there is an acute need for an effective warning message. In a wide range of emergency situations, warning messages are used as a persuasive effort to convince those at risk to take action to reduce or avoid possible harm. Analytical frameworks, such as
Mileti and Sorensen’s (1990) Hear-Confirm-Understand-Decide-Respond Model, examine the efficacy of these warning messages in order to better prepare for future crises (Mileti & Peek, 2000; Sorensen, 2000). Public warning systems for crises consist of three interrelated subsystems: detection subsystem,
management, and response. The process of Hear-Confirm-Understand-Decide-Respond relates to this last stage in the warning system, where the public receives the messages about a risk and recommended response, confirms the response (usually through a second channel), understands what is being communicated, makes a decision about the information, and responds.