Government
What makes disaster and emergency preparedness communications actually work
Published 19 September 2026·Last reviewed 19 September 2026
Disaster and emergency preparedness communications work when they replace checklists and statistics with real stories and an unexpected angle, released before the risk season starts. A flood campaign for Get Ready Queensland centred on real Queenslanders sharing their own stories of flooding and recovery. A storm preparedness animation for Ipswich City Council, built around a streaming-culture insight, generated nearly 48,000 views in its first week.
- Get Ready Queensland's flood campaign used real Queenslanders' stories instead of checklists or statistics
- Ipswich City Council's storm preparedness animation reached nearly 48,000 views in its first week
- A separate Ipswich series covering floods, bushfires, storms and livestock emergencies used a recurring young guide instead of a government spokesperson
- Viewers of the Get Ready Queensland campaign reported checking their own emergency plans after watching
Why checklists and statistics don't create urgency
Get Ready Queensland needed a flood preparedness campaign that could move beyond awareness and create genuine emotional connection. Rather than statistics, checklists or standard emergency messaging, the campaign centred on real Queenslanders sharing their own stories of flooding, recovery and resilience. Statistics describe risk. Stories make people feel it.
Finding the angle an audience is already paying attention to
Ipswich City Council needed a storm preparedness campaign capable of reaching people who had tuned out traditional emergency messaging entirely. Research revealed a useful insight: while storm preparation messaging was being ignored, streaming culture had audiences completely hooked. That insight became the creative angle, and one animation released during a period of high public streaming interest generated nearly 48,000 views in its first week.
Choosing the right messenger
A separate Ipswich City Council series helped residents prepare for floods, bushfires, storms and livestock emergencies before they happened. Rather than standard government spokespeople, the campaign centred on a young boy guiding viewers through each scenario. The shift in approach changed how the content landed: people stayed to watch content that a checklist-led format would have lost them on immediately.
Measuring behaviour, not just views
The Get Ready Queensland series was widely shared and sparked genuine discussion around flood preparedness and community resilience. More importantly, viewers reported checking their own emergency plans and preparedness kits after watching, which is the actual measure of whether behaviour-change communication for disaster preparedness has done its job.
Timing the release before the season, not during it
Storm, flood and bushfire content needs to reach an audience before the risk period, with enough lead time for production, review and government sign-off. A preparedness campaign released mid-disaster has already missed its window to change behaviour.
What to ask before you brief a disaster communications campaign
- Does the concept lead with real stories, or fall back on checklists and statistics
- Has the supplier found a genuine audience-attention angle before, not just a standard warning format
- Is a government spokesperson actually the right messenger for this audience
- What will actually be measured, views, or a behaviour change like checking an emergency plan
- Is there enough lead time to release before the relevant risk season starts
Where Welcome to the Fold sits
Welcome to the Fold produced the Get Ready Queensland flood campaign, the storm preparedness animation that reached nearly 48,000 views in a week, and the multi-scenario preparedness series for Ipswich City Council. For council-specific production, see local government video production in Queensland.
For community engagement more broadly, see what makes a community engagement campaign actually work or the government sector page.
Questions people ask before they brief a disaster communications campaign
Why does standard emergency preparedness messaging get ignored?
Because checklists and statistics don't create urgency for people who've never experienced the disaster being described. Get Ready Queensland's flood campaign moved past checklists entirely and centred on real Queenslanders sharing their own stories of flooding, recovery and resilience.
Can disaster preparedness content actually go viral, or is that unrealistic for this topic?
It's realistic with the right angle. A storm preparedness animation for Ipswich City Council, built around a streaming-culture insight rather than a standard warning format, generated nearly 48,000 views in its first week, well above the council's previous awareness efforts.
Does emergency preparedness content need a different messenger than a government spokesperson?
Often, yes. A multi-scenario preparedness series for Ipswich City Council covering floods, bushfires, storms and livestock emergencies centred on a young boy guiding viewers through each scenario instead of standard government spokespeople, and people stayed to watch.
What actually gets measured as success for this kind of campaign?
Behaviour, not just views. Viewers of Get Ready Queensland's flood campaign reported checking their own emergency plans and preparedness kits after watching, which is what behaviour-change communication for disaster preparedness is supposed to achieve.
When should a disaster communications campaign actually be produced and released?
Before the season it's preparing people for, not during it. Storm, flood and bushfire content needs production lead time and a release window ahead of the risk period to have any chance of changing behaviour before an event happens.
Jason Henry
Director, Welcome to the Fold
Jason has been leading commercial photography, video and strategy production from Brisbane since 2001. Welcome to the Fold is an approved supplier on seven federal and state government creative services panels, including the Queensland Government Creative Advertising Panel (GGS0120-25).