The EUROSCICOMM2024 social science communication conference.

The Faculty of Philology, Translation, and Communication at the University of Valencia (UV) hosted the EUROSCICOMM2024 social science communication conference on December 2-3, an international scientific meeting analysing the communication management of the DANA before, during, and after October 29, 2024. Most participants agreed that despite warnings from the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the Jucar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ), and alerts from the Regional Ministry, the Government Delegation, and Emergencies of the Valencian Government, the population was alerted too late.

“During the conference, the importance of accurate, verified, and up-to-date information for decision-making was highlighted, alongside the significant role of scientific institutions in producing and managing this information," explained Carolina Moreno, Professor of Journalism at the University of Valencia and one of the conference coordinators. The event was organized by the ScienceFlows research group in collaboration with FECYT and Science for Change.

A co-creation workshop demonstrated how information was communicated by these scientific entities via the social network X and how it was disseminated by media outlets. During the morning of October 29, messages of precaution were issued by the Regional Ministry of Environment, Water, Infrastructure, and Territory of the Valencian Government; the account of the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón; and the Ministry of Justice and Interior. Similarly, AEMET, CHJ, the Government Delegation, and Emergencies also issued messages.

Participants, including experts in social science communication, journalists, and communicators, identified that authorities responsible for emergencies did not deliver a uniform and strong enough message to be heeded by citizens in affected areas. Additionally, the CECOPI’s decision to send an alert via mobile phones after 8:00 p.m. came too late, as much of l’Horta Sud was already flooded, with other areas having been inundated for hours.

The discussion emphasised the need for specialized journalistic training in catastrophes and crises, along with using comparative language to better explain dimensions, such as water flow. For example, À Punt compared the peak flow of the Rambla del Poyo or Barranco de Chiva to four times the water flow of the Ebro River at its mouth.

The event was held as part of the COALESCE project (Co-creating the EU Competence Center for Science Communication), aiming to establish a European science communication observatory to provide resources for improving science communication before, during, and after crisis situations. Within the framework of this European project, ScienceFlows is developing a guide on crisis communication in Spanish.

Held in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Philology, Translation, and Communication, the conference featured prominent international figures in science communication, including Claire Wilkinson, professor and co-director of the Communication Unit Science at the University of West England, Bristol; Annette Leßmöllmann, Professor of Science Communication at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; and Joseph Roche, researcher and lecturer at Trinity College Dublin.

EUROSCICOMM2024 is funded by the Valencian Government through its program for promoting scientific research, technological development, and innovation (R&D&I) in the Valencian Community, under the framework agreement CIAORG/2023/123. It also receives support from the COALESCE project, funded under Grant Agreement No. 101095230 as part of the HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-60 initiative, and the Department of Language Theory and Communication Sciences at the University of Valencia for the organization of conferences and events.

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