1.3 million support from TUBITAK for the exemplary project

4 academics from Izmir University of Economics (IUE) took action on the increase in natural disasters such as floods, fires, tornadoes and earthquakes with the effect of global climate change, and prepared a project on ‘disaster communication’ The project, which was developed with the aim of preparing an exemplary ‘communication model’ to be used by the institutions involved in the disaster response process, was entitled to receive 1.3 million lira support from TUBITAK. Stating that the project is about the communication process between institutions, Prof. Dr. Ebru Uzunoğlu, Dean of IUE Faculty of Communication, said, “We aim to support the work carried out in the field of disaster relief in our country and to alleviate the burden of the authorities.”

The project, which will take its place among the most comprehensive studies on disaster communication in Turkey, was prepared by Prof. Dr. Ebru Uzunoğlu, Dean of IUE Faculty of Communication, Asst. Prof. Dr. Pınar Umul, Vice Dean of IUE Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selin Türkel, Head of IUE Department of Public Relations and Advertising, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Senem Kumova Metin, Head of IUE Department of Software Engineering.  Within the scope of the project, which will be completed in 2 years, the IUE team will first examine the existing communication systems in order to determine how the dialogue between institutions is ensured.

VISIT TO 10 CITIES

In line with this goal, visits will be made to a total of 10 cities from 7 regions that have recently experienced disasters in our country. Meetings will be held with representatives of all relevant institutions, including AFAD and municipalities. Opinions of local press representatives will also be taken. In addition to these, what kind of disasters have been experienced in which region in recent years will be analyzed comprehensively.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL BE USED

After completing the city visits and clarifying the current form of communication between institutions, the IUE team will finalize its new communication model. During this process, various visuals and data studies will be carried out with the support of artificial intelligence. Each region will have its own communication strategy. The project, which was prepared before the Kahramanmaraş earthquake on February 6 and presented to TUBITAK, will contribute greatly to the current studies on the post-disaster period and will save time for the authorities.

BOMBARDED WITH DISASTERS

Dean, Prof. Dr. Ebru Uzunoğlu drew attention to the increase in the number of natural disasters in Turkey in recent years and stated that the project they prepared was of great importance. Prof. Dr. Uzunoğlu said, “Climate change, which affects the whole world, also shows its effects in our country. Recently, we have seen an increase in fires, floods and tornadoes. The Kahramanmaraş earthquake we experienced recently was unfortunately a very painful example of this disaster epidemic. As Izmir residents, we experienced the earthquake disaster about 3 years ago. All these show that we need to prepare very well for possible disasters. Communication is very important in disaster times, as it is in all areas of life. As people who have recently been exposed to disasters, we wanted to do our part and provide intellectual support to the authorities and present an exemplary model.”

WE WILL GET SUPPORT FROM ALL INSTITUTIONS

Prof. Dr. Uzunoğlu continued as follows: “If we want to establish a new communication model, we must first analyze the current situation. For example, when there is a fire, we will first look at what kind of communication channel is established, how the process works, who undertakes what tasks. Then we will share our recommendations. We will determine what we can do to make the current system even better. We will create a detailed and complete communication model and present it to the authorities. In this process, we will also receive support from all our institutions in charge of disasters. We will prepare a strategy and model for inter-institutional communication. We aim to complete the project in 2 years and will start city visits shortly.”