Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

Paper: Dr3-5-3471:2008/10/1

Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster
Awareness in Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster
Awareness Game
Virginia Clerveaux , Balfour Spence , and Toshitaka Katada Department of Civil Engineering, Gunma University

1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
E-mail: v clerveaux@hotmail.com
 Lecturer, Department of Geography & Geology, The University of the West Indies
Mona, Kingston 7, West Indies, Jamaica[Received April 22, 2008; accepted August 5, 2008]

The high vulnerability of Caribbean countries to multiple hazards is well documented. However, there is a
paucity of knowledge related to variations in vulnerability within and among countries. As the Caribbean
region moves towards cementing the arrangements fora Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME)
that will allow greater multiculturalism among many
countries of the region, internal disparities in vulnerability are likely to increase. Disaster managers of
the region will be challenged with the development ofstrategies and techniques that will minimize disparities and allow equity in access to disaster informationby all cultural groups. The Disaster Awareness Game
(DAG) is a response to this challenge and was designed
to evaluate levels of disaster awareness among different groups and countries of the Caribbean region as
well as to promote awareness equitably to all culturalgroups. Application of the DAG in the multicultural
setting of the TCI suggests that this technique can beeffective in promoting equitable access to disaster education.
Keywords: disaster loss reduction, game technique, disaster awareness, disaster culture, multicultural landscape

1. Introduction
Hazards cannot be stopped, but their chances of becoming major disasters can be significantly reduced by increasing residents’ level of awareness and preparedness.
This research project is an attempt to measure the level ofdisaster awareness of and to empower vulnerable groups
in society that are disenfranchised due to language or cultural differences through the provision of disaster education in a form that they can readily grasp to ensure disasterloss-reduction. In many Caribbean countries risk communication campaigns receive a lot of attention prior to an
imminent threat or during the threat. The information thatis relayed to the public is usually in the official languageof the country with a few exceptions where warning information is relayed in a second or third language that is unJournal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

officially spoken in the country. While there is consensus
among officials from many Caribbean countries that globalization is leading to an increasing presence of foreigners in their country, on the other hand very little effort has
been undertaken to ascertain the level of hazard awarenessand the ability of minority ethnic groups in the society toeffectively respond during a natural disaster. The Disaster
Awareness Game (DAG) technique described herein discusses how the design and use of this game technique canmeasure and promote disaster awareness among multicultural and multi-language groups in Caribbean societies.

1.1. Hazard and Disaster Vulnerability in the
Caribbean
While definitions of what constitutes the Caribbean region differ among scholars, there is consensus that theregion, however defined, is vulnerable to a slew of natural hazards and is regarded as the second most disasterprone region in the world. Over the past three decades,
more than 150 million people have been affected by environmental disasters worldwide. Of these, more than
100,000 have died and more than 12 million have been
direct victims of these phenomena in Latin America andthe Caribbean. In addition, the total amount of damage caused by disasters for the entire region is more than
US$65million. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in
the Caribbean are among the most affected. The CRED
database shows 475 disasters in 30 countries within the
Caribbean between 1990 and 1996. Hurricanes andstorms account for 47 per cent, floods for 29 per cent,earthquakes for 10 per cent and eruptions and droughts
for 5 per cent each (CIFEG, 1997).
The primary economic base of the Caribbean region
with its focus on agriculture, tourism, forestry and fisheries exports makes the economies of the region extremely susceptible to disasters (Nicholls, 2001; CIFEG,
1997; FAO, 2003; UN Dept of Econ and Social Affairs,2004). Furthermore, countries with lower incomes tend
to suffer more in terms of the number of people affected
while countries with higher incomes tend to suffer greater
economic losses. For example, over 4 million people
have been affected in Haiti, the poorest (per capita GDP
1

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

US$1,600) and most populous (over 8 million inhabitants)of CARICOM member states but economic losses havebeen relatively low at about US$ 211 million. Bahamas,
on the other hand, with a much lower population (approx.
300,000) but much higher per capita income (US$16,800)
has suffered US$500 million in losses while only about
3,000 people have been affected. Jamaica and St. Lucia
have, however, suffered highly both in terms of numberof people affected (in relation to total population) as wellas economic losses (Spence et al. 2004). These disasters
have caused widespread damage to social and economic
infrastructure resulting in widespread social dislocationand suffering. In addition to direct and indirect losses,
economic consequences are crucial given the repercussions for the development of a country’s economy.
The situation concerning SIDS of the Caribbean region will continue to be one of exposure and growing
disaster vulnerability due to new challenges and emerging economic, social and ecological issues (FAO, 2003;
Ariyabandu, 2001). Consequently, these countries have to
face certain peculiarities and inherent difficulties in planning for and responding to natural disasters. These include high probability that a single natural disaster event
becomes a national catastrophe; high probability of impacts in multiple territories by the same event, given sizeand geographical proximity of the territories comprising
the region; probability of impacts being experienced from
more than one event in the same year or season; unsafe informal settlements in vulnerable locations; uninsured low
income housing and inconsistent application of building
codes; and heavy reliance on the environment and natural
resources such as beaches and coastal resources which arevulnerable to extreme weather systems. These predictions
are anticipated to become more dire with the changing
multicultural profile of individual states and in the context
of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME)
which will allow greater settlement of people in countries
with alien languages and cultures. Given the currently
high level of disaster vulnerability and the bleak predictions of intensification, it is imperative that disaster risk
management programmes and policies be developed. An
integral part of these policies and programs must be due
consideration of the changing multicultural landscape ofthe region and the adoption of modes of development thatprevent risk exposure to all cultural groups.

1.2. Multiculturalism and Disaster Management:
Caribbean Perspective
The generation of risk information and its timely andeffective communication to stakeholders in a disastermanagement jurisdiction is the essence of strategies forhazard/disaster loss-reduction. However, the latter is amajor challenge for disaster managers, especially in an increasingly globalized world characterized by higher levels of multiculturalism as more and more people migrate
to locations outside their culture zones where not only
languages differ, but also perceptions of and attitude towards hazard/disaster risk (Martin, 2003). Disaster man2

agers must therefore design effective risk communication
strategies with information that is encompassing and inclusive. There is therefore an urgent need for disastermanagement decisions to reflect understandings of risk.
Given the complexities of effectively communicating disaster risk to mixed cultural groups, there is increasing
suggestion that multiple media be used to communicate
information about all stages of the disaster management
cycle. This is important because the disaster management cycle illustrates the ongoing process by which various stakeholders in the society plan for and reduces theimpact of disasters, react during and immediately following a disaster, and take steps to recover from the impact.
In that regard, a tool which can help to educate and encourage positive mitigation behaviour will lead to greater
preparedness, reduced vulnerability or the prevention ofdisasters during the next iteration of the cycle. Although
it is almost impossible to fully recoup the damage caused
by a disaster, it is possible to minimize the potential risks
by promoting awareness among people. The challenge
however is in the design of educational tools that can effectively transfer and transmit knowledge across a broad
spectrum of social groups. The increased movement ofpeople and culture from countries of origin to regions of
domicile adds a new dimension to this challenge because
the international code of conduct requires that irrespectiveof language, race or creed, the needs of all residents be equitably catered for during emergency events. If jurisdictions are to effectively and efficiently carry out that mandate, risk communication techniques must be designed so
as to allow equal access to information by all culturalgroups. Language is a defining criterion of culture andas such, differences in language or poor language acquisition can prove a formidable barrier to communicatingrisk information or to raising disaster awareness. Since
learning a new language requires time and patience, recent immigrants, as well as visitors to a country, may experience information gaps. In fact, some elderly people
may never develop the language skills required to communicate effectively in a new society. Given the complexities of effectively communicating risk information
among mixed cultural groups, the interactive involvementof stakeholders in the disaster education process is being
recognized as a viable option. Irrespective of age groupor educational level, games have long been recognized as
an important educational tool. It is in this context that theDisaster Awareness Game (DAG) is being promoted inthis paper as an option for promoting disaster risk awareness in mixed cultural societies of the Caribbean. In many
Caribbean countries, the migrant cultural groups are often
as large as that of the local population which poses serious
problems for disaster managers with regard to awarenesspromotion. For example, in the Turks and Caicos Islands(TCI), nearly 65% of the resident population is comprisedof migrants (Clerveaux, 2005), the majority of whom do
not have competence in the national language - English.
The challenges to and opportunities of disaster awarenesspromotion in multicultural societies are highlighted in thefollowing sections of the paper.
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Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

1.3. Challenges and Opportunities for the Promotion of Disaster Awareness in Emergent Multicultural Societies
The superimposition of the physical vulnerability profile of the Caribbean on a social structure characterized byhigh levels of multi-language and multiculturalism highlights the formidable challenges to the dissemination andcommunication of hazard risk information for the reduction of hazard impacts. The biggest challenge is the design/application of techniques that allow equity in access to disaster information, irrespective of culture or language.
1.3.1. Challenges to the Promotion of Disaster AwarenessSome of the primary challenges faced in the promotionof disaster awareness in a mixed cultural setting include
language acquisition, the need for appropriate multimedia, cultural diversity and cost effectiveness.
i Language Acquisition by Migrant Groups
In light of the tendency to prioritize the national language as the medium of dissemination of disasterrisk information, cultural groups that are not fluent
in national languages are disadvantaged in terms of
their access to this information through the traditional channels of radio, television and printed media. If national jurisdictions are to adhere to the international code of conduct as it relates to risk information, disaster management decision-makers must
provide a medium of communication that is universally accessible and understandable to all people, irrespective of language, ethnicity and culture.
ii Use of Appropriate Communication MediaOne of the main challenges faced by disaster managers in a multicultural environment is to ensure thatthe medium of communication for risk information
is appropriate in terms of its comprehensibility andaccessibility by all groups. This is especially crucial in the emergency phase of disaster management
where time is important and can mean the difference
between life and death. Disaster managers must ensure that a range of media are employed in the dissemination of risk information, as this increases thelikelihood of accessibility by different groups.
iii Cognizance of Cultural Nuances
Immigrants not only transfer cultural characteristics
from countries of origin to destinations but in addition, they carry with them perceptions, behaviours,
attitudes and interpretations of disaster risk management issues. Cognizance by disaster managers ofthese cultural nuances must be a prerequisite for theeffective integration of new cultural groups into therisk management portfolio of their jurisdiction.
iv Cost-effectiveness of Information Dissemination
Technique
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While utilization of a range of dissemination techniques would increase the possibility of access bydifferent cultural groups, this would require funding
and resources beyond the reach of many countries.
This is especially true in the Caribbean region wherecountries are, for the most part, poor. In this regard,
there is need to identify the most cost-effective technique for disseminating disaster information.
1.3.2. Opportunities for the Promotion of Disaster
Awareness
The flip side of the challenge to ensuring equity in access to disaster risk information is the creation of opportunities for the design of techniques that maximize resource
utilization and allow efficiency in the promotion of disaster awareness. These challenges highlight the need torethink the modus operandi for communication of disaster information and to bring to the fore novel strategies
for disaster risk communication in a multicultural environment.
i Recognition of Children as Conduits for Risk Information Transfer
The tendency of migrants to agglomerate often alienates them from receiving critical information for disaster risk reduction. In addition, unless existing risk
communication strategies take into account language
and cultural differences, most migrant communities
will fall outside the purview of traditional risk management strategies. However, irrespective of locationor dominance of ethnicity, school curricula tend to
be universal throughout a jurisdiction. In that regard,
the promotion of disaster awareness within schools
provides the opportunity for the transfer of risk information to migrant parents via their children.
ii Design of Universal Techniques for Disseminating ofDisaster Information
While the use of multimedia in the communicationof risk information in a multicultural setting is generally recognized as a viable option, this techniquesometimes results in the distortion of information
and as such, the information received by end users
cannot be regarded as universal. Equity of accessto disaster information underscores the need to ensure that the information received is universal for allgroups.

1.4. Current Approaches and Their Effectiveness toDisaster Management in Multicultural Societies
Recently the increasing death toll among ethnic groups
during a disaster impact has called for a shift in paradigm
in the way disaster managers communicate risk information and respond to disaster management issues in multicultural/multilanguage societies. A strategic approach3

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

for dealing with diversity in a society is vital for lossreduction. Working effectively with culturally and linguistically diverse groups in the area of emergency management has become not only challenging over the years
for emergency managers but also one of significant importance. The need has been widely recognized for emergency management organizations to develop polices andstrategies for such groups.
An examination of the literature review revealed that
there is a dearth of tools and approaches for ensuring theinclusion of multicultural issues in disaster management
policies. This is mainly due to the fact that awareness ofthe need to treat multicultural groups as a group with special needs is recently being highlighted. However, several national and international agencies concerned withdisasters have published guidelines for incorporating cultural considerations in disasters. For example, Solis et al(1995) prepared a detailed series of guidelines regarding
cultural diversity and disaster management in Canada. Although not specific to any particular ethno-cultural group,
they recommend that cultural variables be incorporated
in training and prevention programs for disaster planners
and responders. They note that ethnic minorities may often be at greater risk during disasters because of existing stress, poverty, and isolation and that communication
barrier may interfere with interventions. They also pointout the importance of ongoing outreach efforts to ethnocultural minority groups. Mitchell and McArdle (2003)
offer guidelines for working with linguistically and culturally diverse populations in Australia. What is especially admirable about their paper is their discussion of
specific disasters in Australia and the consequences fordifferent cultural groups that were at risk in these disasters. Like others, they note that ethno-cultural cultural
minority groups are at risk during disasters because of social, political, economic and communication barriers.
The United States of America Center for Mental
Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration of the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) offers a useful
set of tips for teachers on the role of cultural factors in
helping children recover from disasters. This Internet site,(www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/emergencyservices/
culture.asp), points out how cultures differ in social structures, values, communication, and social processes.
They advocate that teachers and other providers learn
cultural competencies to assist them in their efforts. The
State of New York’s Project Liberty (2002) publishedan explicit set of cultural competencies that are necessary for disaster agencies and workers growing out ofrecent disaster experiences in New York. Particularly
useful is the emphasis placed on prevention through thedevelopment of training materials and disaster response
strategies that consider ethno-cultural variables including
identification of culture brokers, foreign language materials for different communities, and ongoing assessmentand evaluation of the organizational cultural competence.
One of the most popular disaster management strategies
currently being utilized is the ‘Community Based Dis4

aster Management (CBDM) approach’. This approachcalls for the inclusion of local community members in
the planning process for their community. The premiseof this approach is that policies/planning that solicited
local community involvement are more likely to succeed
than others (Pandey and Okazaki, 2005). However, thisapproach does not specifically make any mention of how
to deal with communities that are diverse both in terms oflanguage and culture.
The guidelines and approaches outlined above havemade significant strides in educating and informing disaster managers and first responders of how to include multicultural issues in their disaster management planningin order to ensure effective communication during andafter a disaster to reduce stress, miscommunication andother barriers that might arise during interaction. With
the exception of the CBDM approach, their general focus has been on gaining competence in communicatingwith merged cultures or multilanguage groups and on theadministrators rather than the individuals who are first responders during a disaster. On the other hand, the CBDM
approach, while it calls for the inclusion of community
involvement in policies/planning that will directly affectresidents, it inherently assumes that all members of thecommunity are homogenous and that involvement of thecommunity in the planning process would result in meeting the needs of all its members. Generally, while theseguidelines are useful, they tend to be more prescriptive innature and as such are mainly concerned with building intercultural communication or personal skills relationships
between disaster managers and multicultural groups. In
other words, most of these approaches can be characterized as a command and control structure: one that is
top-down and with a logistic centre approach. Additionally, these approaches are not specific tools that attempt
to measure differences in level of awareness among thevarious groups that exist in their societies. This information would be important as it would provide disaster planners with insight as to existing information gaps or disaster myths that might be impeding mitigation efforts at
the individual and community level. It therefore becomes
more difficult to reduce the scale and losses of the tragedy.
While it cannot be denied that intercultural communication competence is important, these guidelines alone will
not help to reduce disaster impact. A tool is still essential in first ascertaining if there is a relationship between
disaster impact and hazard awareness and then possibly
attempting to change the current disaster culture by educating young children. The following discussion outlines
how the DAG was developed and used to measure andpromote hazard awareness and endorses the use of thistool as an efficient mitigation measure in encouraging disaster preparedness at the household level.

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Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

2. The Disaster Awareness Game (DAG): A
Tool for Promoting Hazard/Disaster Awareness in Multicultural Settings: Case Studyof the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)

these relate to hazards. There is a strong emphasis on
measures that can be employed to mitigate hazard impacts and, by extension, contribute to the sustainabilityof households, communities and nations.

The Disaster Awareness Game (DAG) is being proposed as a promising technique for the evaluation andpromotion of disaster awareness in the changing multicultural landscape of the Caribbean region. At this stage,
the DAG focuses on schools primarily because promotionof awareness among children not only represents future
investment in disaster loss-reduction, but in addition, children are recognised as important conduits of risk information between schools and households. The testing of the
DAG in the multicultural environment of the TCI provides
an effective case study and also proved that DAG is an effective tool with great potential to become a benchmarking type tool for use in other multicultural environmentsin the Caribbean.

2.2. DAG Approach to Multicultural Disaster Preparedness/Management
When disasters strike, the impact is first felt at the community level. It is these communities that constitute what
are referred to as “disaster fronts”. Being at the forefront, communities need to have the capacity to respondto threats themselves. It is for this reason that residents
should be educated on both pre-disaster mitigation andthe post disaster response and recovery process. The DAG
was designed accordingly. What makes the DAG one of
the most promising techniques among the strategies andtools that are currently being used in disaster management
jurisdiction is integrated in its fundamental design notion.

2.1. DAG Objectives
Awareness is an essential ingredient of the development
of disaster resilience in any society. Multiculturalism provides an added dimension to the way in which awarenessis promoted and the resultant nature of resilience. The
DAG was developed as a strategy for enhancing resiliencein multicultural societies of the Caribbean through thepromotion of awareness in a manner that will allow equity in access to disaster risk information by multiculturalgroups. Emergency education through schools is effective, as children tend to be attentive to discussions on disasters. Children learn quickly and can transmit the information, often by translation, to their family members. The
DAG technique combines a number of tools and measuresdesigned to:
1 Measure levels of disaster awareness among children
in multicultural environments as a means of informing interventions for disaster education,
2 Use children as conduits for the education of adults
about disaster management issues that are relevant totheir environment,
3 Encourage positive behaviour among vulnerable
peoples at all stages of the disaster management cycle and,4 Assist in dispelling myths about hazards, disasters
and the management issues that pertain.
An overarching theme of the DAG is the relationship between attitudes to disaster information and social vulnerability. Playing of the game is intended to assess the levelof knowledge of players within the context of the disaster management cycle. In that regard, the game navigates its players through preparedness, prevention, mitigation, emergency response and recovery/rehabilitation.
The board game also helps to inform players of the consequences of poor environmental behaviour especially as
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

2.2.1. Critical Considerations in Development of the
DAG
Key issues considered in developing the DAG for
mixed cultural groups included design concept, reading and comprehension ability, language acquisition andusability/cost-effectiveness.
i Design Concept
The DAG game consists of three levels, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced, and is adaptable to any stageof educational attainment. The board game layout
is identical for all levels: the level is determined by
the degree of difficulty of the questions contained on
the game cards (Fig. 1). Currently, the DAG is in anelectronic format which allows its users to adapt andformat the game in accordance with the requirementsof the local cultural environment in which it is being played by adjusting the level of challenge of thequestions, the hazard profiles of different environments and the related question cards to reflect local
vernacular, culture and hazard experience/exposure.
Similarly, the game can be easily modified to focus
on single or multiple hazards as well as on specificcomponents of the disaster management cycle. Thislevel of flexibility can be effective in prioritizing the
focus of disaster management education in schools
or community meetings. The interactiveness of the
DAG in conjunction with simplicity of language andstraightforwardness of information helps in the elimination of language-related bias in access to disasterrisk information. In addition, the board game andquestion cards can be translated into multiple languages or dialects in order to ensure more universal
relevance.
The DAG exercise conducted among school children
in the TCI was undertaken at the Basic level of difficulty as prior consultation with teachers of the targeted age group deemed the level to be appropriate.
The anticipation is that as the level of difficulty of the5

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

Fig. 1. Disaster Awareness Board Game.

game increases from Basic to Advanced for a specific age group, both pre and post-test scores would
decline but with higher post-test scores as participants would benefit from the information provided
between pre and post-test. This is mainly because as
one progresses to a higher level in the game, higher
cognitive skills will be required to effectively analyse and respond to the questions.

was one of the outcomes of the consultation process.
Limitation of response options to three was also informed by educators of the targeted age group. Further fine-tuning of questions occurred in relation tosimplicity and straightforwardness. Appropriatenessof the questions for the targeted groups was further
assessed by circulating draft questions and response
options among a panel consisting of migration andlanguage specialists and disaster managers.

ii Reading and Comprehension Ability
Once the content of the DAG board was developed,
the next step was to determine the degree of difficultyof related questions. The importance of communication at their level of English proficiency is critical.
In the game design for mixed cultural groups, reading and comprehension ability in a foreign language
were key considerations. Because of this, consultation with migration and language specialists for the
major languages spoken in the TCI preceded the development of the question cards. The preliminary
game was designed to be tested in the mixed cultural environment of the TCI. As such, the consultation process established the reading and comprehension ability of second language speakers at the agegroup targeted by the game. The questions on thegame cards relate to knowledge and management of
the hazards highlighted on the board game. The useof multiple choice format for responses to questions
6iii Language Acquisition
Many migrants are highly literate in their first language, while others have never learned to write intheir mother tongue. Some are even native speakers
of languages without a written form. Some migrants– who come from a wide variety of linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds – may have special needs because the nature and functions of discourse, audience, and persuasive appeals often differ
across linguistic, cultural and educational contexts.
In the TCI, the landscape is truly multicultural and ischaracterized by native Anglophone residents as well
as Francophone and Spanish-speaking migrants. Although children fare better, the language acquisition
skills of the adult migrant population in the TCI is
minimal and as such, most fall outside the scopeof traditional risk communication media. The language acquisition skills of migrant students involved
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Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Gamein testing of the DAG are still en vogue and although
the language of the DAG process is English, simplicity was a major design consideration of the DAG.
iv Usability/cost-effectivenessThe primary attractiveness of the DAG as an education tool in the promotion of disaster awarenessand risk-reduction is its low resource demand, simple technology and cost effectiveness. The inputs are
low cost and easily available so the DAG process canbe easily implemented in poor societies where resource availability is a major constraint. The DAG
can be used as an educational tool not only for disaster management decision-makers in the TCI but also
for the general resident population, allowing them tobecome more accountable for their actions. This isbecause the game has the capacity to educate players
about different scenarios that are determined by theaction taken by residents.
v Reinforce Positive Mitigation Behaviour
In addition to its potential as a disaster awarenessbenchmarking tool, the DAG has many advantages,
including its ability to enhance the level of hazard/disaster awareness by encouraging positive mitigation behaviour. Positive behaviours are encouraged in the game by rewarding players with moving one place forward for a correct response. Players can also advance if their game pieces fall on a
position that suggests positive disaster management
behaviour. Likewise backward movement (penalty)
can occur if the game piece falls on a location that indicates detrimental disaster management behaviour
or for incorrect responses to questions. The DAG
also serves to identify cultural nuances and ensurethat they are contextualized in the design of strategies for the dissemination of risk information.

3. DAG Methodology
The DAG Basic level was tested in a multicultural setting of Grade 5 students at a two-day workshop entitled, ‘Disaster Awareness among Primary School Children: Students and Parents’ from 11 to 12 September
2007 at the Ona Glinton Primary School, TCI. This wasa collaborative effort between the Ministry of Disaster
Management and the Ministry of Education in the TCI,
the Social Engineering Laboratory (SEL) at Gunma University, Japan and the Department of Geography/Geology
at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, as part of a
Caribbean regional effort to promote disaster awareness.
A Total of 76 students participated in the workshop,
comprising 53 Anglophone and 23 non-Anglophone. Students were randomly selected and their distribution in thesample reflects the ethnic profile of the school as well as
the communities from which the students originated. The
aim of the workshop was first to ascertain current levels of
disaster awareness and secondly to educate children from
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

Fig. 2. Location of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

mixed cultural backgrounds about effective emergency
management strategies. The DAG was also intended toevaluate whether or not non-English speakers would score
differently on the game from Anglophone students. The
rationale is that if there were no significant differences
between the scores of the two groups this would be anindication that the DAG tool was effective in allowing
equity of access to the information content of the gameby both groups. The DAG tool included presentations on
local hazards and the relevant disaster management contexts, a board game with related question cards and score
sheet, used to evaluate levels of awareness prior to and after exposure to the game, and a before and after workshop
questionnaire survey.
Post test of knowledge-acquisition immediately after
exposure to new information is generally characterized
by a vast improvement on the pre-test results but sinceretention of new knowledge is a critical measure of theeffectiveness of an intervention, longer-term post-testing
must be considered in the design criteria for this methodof evaluation (Rockwell and Kohn, 1989). It is in recognition of this tendency that the DAG makes provision for
retesting of participants at the Basic level of the gameat the grade immediately above that at which they werefirst tested, in order to ascertain if knowledge gain was
retained or if previous scores gained reverted to pre provision of disaster information.

3.1. Multiculturalism in the TCIThe Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is a small British
Dependency covering 430 square kilometres and is situated at approximately 21 degrees latitude and 71 degrees
longitude (Fig. 2). With a national population of only
11,620 people, the TCI is unable to fulfil much of its human resource demand for educators, medical practitioners etc, from local sources and as a result, relies heavily
on the active recruitment of skilled and unskilled migrant
workers to fulfil these needs. The TCI is also deficientin physical resources such as agricultural land and fresh
water supply. In spite of these deficiencies, the country
has maintained a standard of living that surpasses manyof the neighbouring Caribbean islands, owing to vibrant7

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

Fig. 3. Hazard Awareness of Anglophone and non-Anglophone Students in the TCI.

tourism and offshore banking industries. In essence, therelative prosperity of the TCI has served as a pull factor
for migrants throughout the Caribbean region and othercountries outside the region (Clerveaux, 2005). Currently,
the migrant population of the TCI accounts for approximately 65 percent of the 33,202 people living in these islands (Clerveaux, 2005). English is the official languageof the TCI but Spanish and French are commonly spoken
owing to the influx of migrants from neighbouring Dominican Republic and Haiti. Since it is the responsibility of the national government of the TCI to facilitate thesafety of visitors and migrants alike, and in light of theever-increasing numbers of visitors and migrants, thereis extreme urgency for the formulation and implementation of measures that will ensure the safety of all during
an emergency. As such, the need for strategies and techniques that will comprehensively inform residents about
the importance of disaster management within the context
of the multi-cultural and multilanguage mix is critical.
Warning and evacuation information are most critical inthat regard, as ineffectiveness in their communication canmake the difference between life and death during emergencies. The application of the DAG in the TCI attempts
to address the need for a mechanism that can be used toeducate residents about disaster/hazard risk information
and reinforces the need to plan and implement appropriate mitigation measures.

3.3. Overview
There are two opposing schools of thought related tothe use of educational resources by migrants. On one
hand, migrants, especially children, are perceived as placing tremendous strain on educational resources in hostcountries, especially as this relates to slowing the paceof learning overall. The opposing view is that migrantchildren are not a liability to the education system ofhost countries since they generally have higher aspirations and therefore perform better than their native counterparts (Clerveaux, 2005). In the TCI the prevailing viewis that non-Anglophone children tend to hold back the
progress of syllabi owing to poor language acquisition
skills. In other words, in traditional modes of learning,
non-Anglophone children are at a disadvantage in termsof their capacity to assimilate information. However, as a
non-traditional teaching technique the DAG demonstrated
that this issue could be resolved. The scores of the multicultural groups sampled showed that the performance of
non-Anglophone students were on par with their Anglophone counterparts. The fact that no significant disparity
in scores occurred, is an indication that the DAG technique had satisfactorily fulfilled the design criterion ofeliminating dominant-language bias in access to disasterrelated information. In that regard, the Game allowed effective and equitable comprehension, assimilation and application of the information, irrespective of the language
background of participants.

3.2. Application of the DAG to the TCI

3.4. Pre-Test Stage: Effectiveness of DAG as a Measurement Tool
This stage is intended to evaluate the existing level ofdisaster awareness among the target population using aquestionnaire survey, and the DAG board game along with
its score and answer sheet, prior to the provision of any
formal disaster education.

The school in which the DAG was tested is a microcosm of the multicultural landscape of the TCI. In thatregard, students of non-Anglophone ethnicity accounted
for just over 30 percent of the class that was sampled.
Special observations were made of non-Anglophone students during the DAG process so as to establish whether
the design considerations were appropriate for a multicultural setting. The analysis herein is discussed in terms ofchildren’s natural hazard awareness, their risk perceptions
and their household level of preparedness.
8

3.4.1. Children’s Natural Hazard AwarenessThe level of hazard awareness among children is influenced by the extent of their hazard and disaster educaJournal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

Fig. 4. Main sources of Hazard Information for Anglophone and non-Anglophone Students in the TCI.

Fig. 5. Anglophone and non-Anglophone Children’s Risk Perception.

tion as well as their level of exposure especially within
the context of their household. During the DAG exercise the level of awareness among children was assessed by asking participants to identify hazards that haveor are likely to impact their communities. In all cases
non-Anglophone children demonstrated a higher level ofawareness of hazards that are likely to impact their communities then Anglophone children (Fig. 3). A number of explanations can be proffered for this tendency.
First, the parents of non-Anglophone students were usually from larger islands such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which have been repeatedly ravaged by
the impact of multiple hazards. The experiences of these
events would have been passed on to their children in dramatic stories, thus allowing for higher levels of awareness among these non-Anglophone children. Secondly, inmany non-Anglophone migrant communities parents consistently access the media of their countries of origin. Disaster events occurring in these countries which are usuallymore vulnerable then the TCI would have been conveyed
to these children. While oral communication with parents
played a significant role in terms of hazard education for
non-Anglophone children, the media featured more in the
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

hazard education of Anglophone children (Fig. 4). Dissemination of disaster information can only be consideredeffective if the information that is designed for vulnerable
populations reaches its target audience. The applicationof the DAG in the TCI not only served to evaluate comparative levels of awareness among Anglophone and nonAnglophone students but in addition, identified an effective knowledge transfer technique for the communicationof disaster information.
3.4.2. Children’s Risk Perceptions
There is a view that a major factor impeding disaster management in a mixed cultural society is the negative risk perception of migrants. This is particularly
true where such perceptions are fatalistic or informed bymyths. The risk perception of sampled children was assessed in terms of perceived vulnerability of their country,
community and homes (Fig. 5). It is recognized that thisassessment of risk perception is somewhat simplistic but
given the age and level of education of the sample a more
complex approach to the assessment would be deemed inappropriate. The DAG results showed similar scores for9

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

Fig. 6. Comparison of Children’s Risk Perception Before and After the Workshop.

non-Anglophone and Anglophone students. Both groupof students underestimated the level of risk posed by hazards to the TCI. These results are in stark contrast to thoserelated to levels of awareness. A possible explanation isthat many of these children have either been born in or
moved to the TCI from an early age and as such, theirhazard risk perceptions would have been influenced bysimilar experiences and information as children who wereborn in the TCI. In this case the DAG not only served toevaluate the risk perceptions of a multicultural group of
students but also educated them about the risk status of
their environment.
3.4.3. Children’s Level of Preparedness
Since children are not always directly responsible forpreparing for the impact of hazards an evaluation of theirlevel of preparedness is intended to reflect their existinghousehold preparedness. The DAG results showed highlevels of preparedness among Anglophone as well as nonAnglophone children. If these results are regarded as reliable then it would be difficult to explain the continued
high levels of impacts from prevailing hazards: hurricanes
and floods. One possible explanation is that the respondents provided misinformation. In that regard, the DAG
as an evaluation tool requires improvement related to exploration of the specifics of children’s hazard preparedness. For instance, when children responded that they areaware of the measures required to reduce the impacts offloods and hurricanes on their households, the specificsof this knowledge requires investigation. The challenge
is in devising means of garnering such information without frustrating the responses of these young children. It isnoteworthy that while most of the children stated that theyknow how to prepare for floods and hurricanes, less than
75% of them have ever participated in emergency drills
at home, at school or in their community. Most of thesampled children were able to list some of the items thatshould be placed in an emergency bag. The fact that thevast majority were unfamiliar with emergency preparedness measures such as, cutting down overhanging trees,
10

removing fruits that could become missiles during storms,
or elevating furniture and unplugging electrical items before a flood, is an indication of the possible misinformation related to their level of preparedness.

3.5. Post-Test Stage: Effectiveness of DAG in Promoting Hazard AwarenessThe post-test assessment of the DAG is intended tomeasure the effectiveness of this technique in enhancing
the disaster awareness knowledge-base of targeted students. In that regard, the pre-test process was followed
by a post-test exercise in which students were again subjected to an identical questionnaire survey, playing of theboard-game and evaluation of score-sheets. Changes inlevels of awareness were assessed using the same criteria
as those of the pre-test and are discussed in the ensuing
sections.
3.5.1. Children’s Risk Perception
A notable increase in risk perception was observed forboth Anglophone and non-Anglophone sample students
for both floods and hurricanes (Fig. 6). In the case offlooding, the risk awareness of the Anglophone sample
increased by an average of 32.6 percent, while that of the
non-Anglophone sample increased by approximately 18
percent. The smaller increase in risk awareness for the
non-Anglophone sample is a reflection of higher levels of
their existing flood awareness in the pre-test evaluation.
That level of awareness is a function of greater exposure
to flood events when compared with the Anglophone sample. The analysis of post-test data for the Anglophone students indicate that the most significant increase in floodrisk awareness related to the vulnerability of communities reflecting lower levels of exposure to and experience
with flooding in the communities from which the students
originated. In the case of non-Anglophones, the mostsignificant increase related to the perceived vulnerability of homes because, although students have a high levelof exposure to flooding, the site-specific location of their
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

Fig. 7. Comparison of Children’s Flood Preparedness Before and After the Workshop.

Fig. 8. Comparison of Children’s Hurricane Preparedness Before and After the Workshop.

homes makes direct impact from flooding unlikely except
in extreme high magnitude events.
In the case of hurricanes, the increase in risk perceptions following exposure to the DAG was generally lower
than for flooding. In the case of Anglophone students,
hurricane risk perception increased by approximately 18
percent while for non-Anglophone, the increase was 15.4
percent. The main explanation is that existing levels of
hurricane awareness before exposure to the DAG was significantly high for both samples. The similarity of the increase for Anglophone and non-Anglophone reflects universality in the character and dissemination process of
hurricane information throughout the Caribbean and especially within the context of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) participating states
to which the TCI, Haiti, Dominican Republic and othercountries belong or of which they are observers. Information on hurricanes is the most developed and most accessible of all information on hazards affecting the Caribbean
region. In that regard, students in the Caribbean would be
exposed to similar hurricane-related information.

Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

3.5.2. Children’s Knowledge of Hazard Preparedness
As in the case of risk awareness, there was a significant
increase in children’s knowledge of preparedness measures in relations to floods (Fig. 7) and hurricanes (Fig. 8)
for both samples. In the case of flooding, knowledge ofpreparedness measures among Anglophone students increased by an average of approximately 32 percent whileamong non-Anglophone students the increase was nearly
38 percent. In relation to hurricanes, preparedness knowledge increased by 26 percent and 24 percent for Anglophone and non-Anglophone, respectively. Explanations
for the difference in increase between the two locations
are similar to those for risk awareness. The increase inpreparedness knowledge was manifested in the children’sability to list items that should be included in an emergency evacuation kit as well as how these can be usedduring an emergency. In addition, children demonstrated
a better understanding of hazards and their impacts and amore comprehensive knowledge of steps that can be taken
to mitigate the effects of hazards after exposure to the
DAG.
Exposure to the DAG also assisted students in iden11

Clerveaux, V., Spence, B., and Katada, T.

tifying ways in which they can assist their parents withdisaster preparedness activities. Most were able to compile check-lists to remind their parents of preparations
required to mitigate the impact of specific emergencies.
Evacuation knowledge also increased with exposure to the
DAG, although more so for the Anglophone than nonAnglophone students. This is primarily because of ahigher incidence of pre-test evacuation knowledge among
non-Anglophone students. Most of the non-Anglophone
students in the sample would have had repeated exposure
to evacuation exercises during flooding and hurricanes,
given the location of their homes near swamps or areasthat are very susceptible to flooding. The location and thetype of structure of homes of Anglophone children would
have hindered the development of this knowledge in thesechildren. It is for similar reasons that recovery knowledge
was higher for students in TCI.
It is worth reiteration that while there are countlessexamples in the risk communication literature, of nondominant language and literacy as barriers to effective
and equitable risk communication, the results of the DAG
suggests little disparity between Anglophone and nonAnglophone children with regard to their capacity to access and assimilate disaster-related information. As indicated earlier, the design criteria of the DAG is partly
accountable for this absence of disparity. However, beyond the design criteria is the possibility that children of
non-Anglophone parents might have been initiated into
the school system at the same time as Anglophones. As
such, their English language skill might have developed
at a similar rate as the Anglophones, thus reducing potential disadvantages. However, because the English skills
acquired in school are usually not reinforced at home asparents continue to speak their native language the level of
reduction in disadvantages is uncertain unless of course,
the children have become perfectly bi-lingual.

4. Conclusion
The promotion of disaster awareness as a risk reduction strategy in disaster management is widely acknowledged. Under normal circumstances effectively promoting hazard and disaster awareness in any society is a complicated and sometimes difficult process. This difficulty
stems from internal social variations related to people’ssocioeconomic status, level of education, capacity to comprehend and assimilate disaster information, age and ahost of other factors. In such scenarios disaster managers
are challenged with the responsibility of providing relevant disaster information in a format that allows equity inaccess to and comprehension of such information.
Multiculturalism adds a new dimension to this challenge as disaster managers in multicultural societies must
tailor their information to the needs of all people irrespective of language, culture or ethnicity. The social landscapeof the Caribbean region is becoming increasingly multicultural and this process is expected to gain momentum
as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy becomes12

a reality. Caribbean disaster managers will need to design techniques for the transfer of disaster information tomulticultural and multilanguage groups while at the sametime addressing the equity issues. Application of the DAG
in the TCI demonstrates that the technique is effectivein addressing the multicultural challenges that will be increasingly faced by Caribbean disaster managers. In addition, the technique is useful in identifying gaps in disastereducation and by extension provides an informed basis forthe prioritization of disaster education interventions.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JSPS) for supporting by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(No. 19206255, Research Leader: Toshitaka Katada).

References:[1] Ariyabandu and M. Malagoda, “Bringing Together Disaster and Development –Concepts and Practice, Some Experience from SouthAsia,” Paper Presented at the 5th European Sociological Association Conference entitled Visions and Divisions: Challenges to European Sociology, held in Helsinki, August 28-September 1, 2001.
[2] “CIFEG (1997) Natural Disasters in Central America and the
Caribbean, Consequences and Risks, Diagnostic Study For
The DIPECHO Action Plan, For Central America and The
Caribbean –Centre International pour la Formation et les Exchanges Geologiques [CIFEG], ” Universite de Savoie, April, 1997.
http://www.disaster-info.net/dipecho/pdf/diag eng.pdf/[3] Clerveaux, Virginia, “Resource Utilization and Migration Issues in
the Turks and Caicos Islands. Department of Geography & Geology,” University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. 2005. (unpublished M. Phil. thesis).
[4] “FAO Report (2003), Small Island Developing States Facing Growing Vulnerability,” FAO Newsroom, 2003. http://www.fao.org/[5] J. N. Martin, “Intercultural Communication Competence,” In R. L.
Wiseman, & J. Koester (Eds.), Intercultural communication competence, pp. 16-29, Newbury Park: Sage. 1993.
[6] L. Mitchell and D. McArdle, “Working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities,” Available at:
http://www.ausfire.com/afac conference/documents/mcardle.doc(Accessed October 16, 2003)[7] N. Neville, “CDB Disaster Management Programme: Lessons andExperience Speeches and Statements Presented at The Caribbean
Disaster Preparedness Seminar,” Montego Bay, Jamaica, January
9-10, 2001.
[8] B. Pandey and K. Okazaki, “Community Based Disaster Management: Empowering Communities to Cope with Risk,” United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Japan, 2005.
[9] Project Liberty. “Providing culturally competent crisis counselingservices,” Project Liberty, Albany (NY), New York State Office ofMental Health, 2002.
[10] S. Rockwell and H, Kohn, “Post then Pre-test Evaluation.” Journalof Extension, Vol.27, No.2. 1989.
[11] G. Solis, H. Hightower, and J. Kawaguchi, “Guidelines on cultural
diversity and disaster,” 1995.

Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 2008

Using Game Technique as a Strategy in Promoting Disaster Awareness in
Caribbean Multicultural Societies: The Disaster Awareness Game

Name:

Name:

Virginia I. Clerveaux

Toshitaka Katada

Affiliation:

Affiliation:

Ph.D. Candidate, Disaster Social Engineering
Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering,
Gunma University

Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gunma University

Address:

Address:

1-5-1 Tenjin-Cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan

1-5-1 Tenjin-Cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan

Brief Career:

Brief Career:

2002 Demonstrator cum Tutor, The University of the west Indies, Jamaica2005 Research Student/Assistant, Disaster Social research Laboratory,
Department of Civil Engineering, Gunma University, Japan
2006 Ph.D. Candidate, Disaster Social Research Laboratory, Department
of Civil Engineering, Gunma University, Japan

1997 Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Gunma University, Japan
2000 Visiting Researcher, University of Washington, USA
2005- Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Gunma University, Japan

Selected Publications:¯ “Tsunami Scenario Simulator: A Tool for Ensuring Effective Disaster
Management and Coastal evacuation in a Multilingual Society,” Science of
Tsunami, Vol.27, No.3, July, 2008.
¯ “Information Simulation Model: Effective Risk Communication andDisaster Management in a Mixed Cultural Society,” Journal of Natural
Disaster (accepted).
¯ “Flood Hazard Mapping and Community Disaster Management
Planning,” Proc. of the Inter-regional Seminar on Flood Hazard Mappingand its use in Community Disaster Management Planning in the Caribbean
and Central America, 2004.

¯ T. Katada, M. Kodama, N. Kuwasawa, and S. Koshimura, “Issues ofresident’s consciousness and evacuation form the tsunami – fromquestionnaire survey in Kesennuma city, Miyagi Pref. after the earthquakeof Miyagiken-oki, 2003 –,” Journal of Hydraulic, Coastal andEnvironmental Engineering, No.789/II-71, pp. 93-104, 2005(in Japanese).
¯ T. Katada, N. Kuwasawa, H. Yeh, and C. Pancake, “Integrated
Simulation of Tsunami Hazards,” EERI’s Eighth U.S. National Conferenceon Earthquake Engineering(8NCEE), Paper No.1727, 2006.
¯ T. Katada and M. Kanai, “Implementation of Tsunami Disaster
Education for Children and Their Parents at Elementary School,” Solutions
to Coastal Disaster 2008, Tsunamis, pp. 39-48, 2008.

Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations:

Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations:¯ Caribbean Academy of Science (CAS)¯ Jamaica Geographical Society (JGS)¯ Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP)

Selected Publications:¯ Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE)¯ Natural Hazards Society (NHS)¯ Japan Society for Natural Disaster Science (JSNDS)

Name:
Balfour Spence

Affiliation:
Associate Professor, Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES) Program, Brandon University

Address:
Brodie Science Centre, 270 18th Street, Brandon Manitoba, Canada R7A
6A9

Brief Career:
1988 Instructor in Geography, University of Manitoba, Canada
1996 Lecturer in Disaster Management, The University of the West Indies,
Jamaica2008 Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES) Program, Brandon
University, Canada

Selected Publications:¯ “Disaster Risk Management Benchmarking Tool,” A Technical Manual
Published by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) andUnited States Agency for International Development/Caribbean Open
Trade Support Programme (USAID/COTS), p. 65, 2006.
¯ “Agro-biodiversity as an Environmental Management Tool in
Small-scale Farming Landscapes,” in Caribbean Land and Development
Revisited, J. Besson & J. Momsen (Eds.), Palgrave Macmillan, London,
pp. 68-84, 2007.
¯ “Challenges to Promoting Agro-biodiversity in Caribbean Small farming
Systems: A Jamaican Case Study,” in Environmental Planning in the
Caribbean, Jonathan Pugh and J. Henshall Momsen (Eds), Asgate
Publishing ltd., pp. 33-52, 2006.

Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations:¯ Caribbean Academy of Science (CAS)¯ Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG)¯ Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP)

Journal of Disaster Research Vol.3 No.5, 200813