By CHRIS EARL
EMERGENCY warnings are issued by government authorities to keep people alert to possible danger but a bit like weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology, they can at times be seen as being more than a little overdone, wrapped in hyperbole.
So often in summer, there are fire alerts and warnings issued that capture multiple communities, many well away for a blaze being tackled by our great volunteer firefighters. A compass placed on the central dot to draw a circle?
This week, the bureau and government agencies issued flood watch alerts for the multiple areas, including the Loddon River. Expect minor and isolated moderate flooding as heavy rains were forecast but no detail.
In an region impacted by last October’s flood emergency, awareness is everything and the Loddon Herald, like all media, reported online that the alert was in place.
But missing from the advice was context. That came for locals who quickly calmed people who became anxious - yes rain and lots of it had been forecast but unlike last year, there has not been weeks of unrelenting drops from the sky.
It raises a question that perhaps will be addressed during a Parliamentary inquiry: How can emergency alerts issued by CFA, SES, the Bureau of Meteorology be improved?
These alerts need to be more than a ping on a map and generic information. To have total credibility and integrity, context is required.
That’s something so often missing and as a result, can contribute to anxious moments, sometimes unnecessarily.
We must always be alert and vigilant. Wrapping official advice with context would be a good step towards being that way with calm confidence.