People get emergency and disaster information from a wide array of information sources. However, EWS are typically relayed via standard radio and television broadcast, word of mouth and direct contact through emergency and community services workers. EWS information is not reliably made available in accessible formats or through multi-sensory platforms.102 The availability of inclusive information is at best ad hoc, location specific and dependent on the particular emergency service involved.
Issues identified include the heavy reliance upon emergency phone numbers, the absence of captioning and verbal descriptions in television updates, the near impossibility of getting emergency information in Auslan, the absence of a text message warning system and the failure to provide emergency service workers with communication aids or message boards.103
