Responding to Crisis: Drought Directives

A daily fact sheet, "Drought Directives," helped Washington County, Ohio families deal with the 1988 drought crisis. From July 11 to August 19, the Washington County agriculture associate and home economics agent prepared and distributed "Drought Directives" daily to local news media. The one-page fact sheet summarized current information from several sources under three headings: Managing on the Farm, Helping in the Home, and Coping with the Stress. These kept the public informed about the severity of the drought. Practical information was given to help families and communities in reducing their water consumption at home and cope with the emotional devastation of the drought.

During the seemingly unending drought, Extension played a major role in helping families and communities deal with the crisis. Extension staff convened agri-business and community leaders to share ideas about how that objective could best be met. Included in that first meeting were representatives from the County Health Department, Soil Conservation Service, Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service, Farm Bureau, National Farmers Organization, and the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service. The committee felt there should be an effective way to distribute that knowledge to the farm and nonfarm community. A secondary goal was to make the nonfarm community aware of the fact that the drought wasn't just a farm problem, but that everyone was affected.

Once the format for the "Drought Directives" fact sheet was developed, the local news media were asked to cooperate. One newspaper agreed to print the daily "Drought Directives" in conjunction with its weather report and forecast. Several radio stations periodically broadcasted the information and telephoned agents for on-air interviews. The county's willingness to use both wholesale and retail approaches for disseminating information of widespread relevance was evidence of the perceived need, potential impact of the information, and collective support of all communities.

Because of the content and format of the information provided by the Extension state specialists, the daily preparation of the county fact sheets took a minimal amount of time. The committee suggested the information be kept short so individuals could easily assimilate and use the facts and be able to share them with others.

In the interest of cost effectiveness, a five-day compilation of the fact sheets was mailed weekly to a targeted audience of 358 people including water haulers, agribusiness leaders and suppliers, health department officials, county and township officials, ministers, and farmers.

University and Extension administrators presented the program to the Ohio state legislature when asking for money to help farmers through the crisis. The program was used to show Extension efforts focusing on the problem, providing situation update and analysis, and encouraging positive actions.

At the end of the program, a written evaluation was given to the recipients of the "Drought Directives." Only five percent of the recipients returned the surveys, but the written responses echoed the verbal reactions communicated to the OCES staff and throughout the community. Eighty-four percent of the respondents reported using the information they received. One business leader made the fact sheets available in his lobby. A minister reprinted the stress management skills in his church bulletin. A home economics instructor taught water conservation techniques to her students.

Fifty-three percent said the information they received helped them, their families, or their businesses in management decisions. Ninety-two percent reported making changes in their farming practices or family water use as a result of "Drought Directives." One family reported improved water conservation skills. Others reported not washing cars as often, and sweeping, rather than hosing, the garage and walkways. A farmer reported plans for developing spring tanks. Another family reported not using the dishwasher and doing less washing. Eighty-four percent of the respondents said the information presented in "Drought Directives" was more valid than other sources of information related to the crisis. Seventy-six percent said they felt the information helped the nonfarm community better understand, appreciate, and contribute to reducing the problems caused by the drought.

Reactions to this program exceeded expectations. The news media approach was an effective way to disseminate the issue- based information. A similar approach could be equally successful for an major issue of widespread impact, such as flooding or other types of emergency disaster relief.