A storm approaches and water rises, yet some residents still refuse to evacuate. At the AUB–UNESCO regional workshop in N’Djamena, UNDRR expert Alexandros Tsakiridis argued that issuing a warning on radio or television is no longer enough. The challenge is often psychological: people may need to see danger before believing it, may be reluctant to leave property, may distrust institutions or may assume the next disaster will resemble the last one.

These reactions include optimism bias, inertia and fatalism. For journalists, the task is therefore to design messages that can overcome these barriers rather than relying on administrative language or a lecturing tone.

Examples presented during the workshop showed several effective approaches. In East Africa, a local fisherman explained how listening regularly to weather bulletins had saved his life. A simple message delivered by a trusted community figure can make an emergency warning more credible and actionable.

Another example showed the value of reporting on evacuation drills before a disaster. Showing communities how preparation works can reduce fear and make safety instructions easier to understand.

In Timor-Leste, tsunami evacuation advice was communicated through a rhythmic song in a local language, demonstrating how music, oral tradition and culturally familiar formats can help embed survival guidance in collective memory.

Three editorial strategies emerge: rely on peers and trusted figures, educate audiences during periods of calm rather than only during emergencies, and use culture and oral traditions to make warnings understandable and memorable.

Irène GAOUDA and Hicham ATTMANE, N’Djamena.