The lockdown, the earthquake and the moving - the three communication challenges

The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ) has faced significant challenges in recent years that have greatly impacted and altered its daily operations, particularly in the part of communication and media. The first major challenge was the global lockdown imposed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As if that was not enough, the city of Zagreb was struck by a devastating earthquake during the same period, causing severe damage to the DHMZ administration building and making access to infrastructure tools extremely difficult or even temporarily impossible.

Despite the justified fear and disruption caused by the earthquake, DHMZ employees demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility and managed to maintain continuity in their main operational activities. They made efforts to remain accessible to users, media, and the general public through alternative means such as the DHMZ website, social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube channel and email.

As the initial fear of earthquakes subsided and quarantine measures relaxed, DHMZ faced the daunting task of relocating from the damaged building to a rented one that was not originally designed for the specific needs of a national meteorological and hydrological service. Throughout this process, DHMZ had to navigate the challenges of maintaining physical distancing measures while preserving close internal and external communication to ensure that the main operational activities of the service were not disrupted.

This experience has provided DHMZ with valuable lessons in communication during times of crisis. It highlighted the importance of having robust communication channels in place, including alternative methods such as social media and email, to ensure continued availability to users, media, and the general public. It also underscored the significance of maintaining close internal and external communication, even in challenging circumstances, to ensure that the service can fulfil its mission effectively. DHMZ has learned from these challenges and continues to strive for effective communication and media outreach in its daily operations.

This work contains the lessons learned from this period of challenges and highlights the importance of communication strategies, alternative channels, and maintaining internal and external communication during times of crisis.