Community-based hazard warnings in rural Sri Lanka : performance of alerting and notification in a last-mile message relay

Abstract

The aim of the Last-Mile Hazard Warning System (LM-HWS) is to deploy and assess various alert and notification technologies intended to reduce the vulnerability of local communities to natural and manmade hazards in rural Sri Lanka. The project adopts an “all-hazards, all-media” approach designed around a set of five wireless communication technologies [2]. The pilot project involved deployment, training, and field-testing of the technologies, in various combinations, across 32 tsunami-affected villages, using Common Alerting Protocol for data interchange with content provided in three languages (English, Sinhalese and Tamil). This paper reports on findings from a series of field tests conducted in Sri Lanka to compare the reliability of the five ‘last-mile’ devices with their relative effectiveness in terms of alert and notification capabilities. Findings indicate that overall effectiveness of the alert and notification system is enhanced when a village is equipped with a technology combination that enhances complimentary redundancy in reliability and effectiveness. Further implications of these findings for planning and future research are discussed.