Evaluating emergency alerts through the IDEA model: insights from Tropical Cyclone Kirrily

Queensland’s exposure to high-risk weather events highlights the need to continuously review emergency communication practices. Between July 2023 and April 2024, Queensland faced 26 extreme weather events, including Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, which struck near Townsville in January 2024. This study assesses the alignment of 12 emergency alerts issued during Tropical Cyclone Kirrily in Queensland in January 2024 with the IDEA model (Internalisation, Distribution, Explanation, Action) and guidelines from the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. The alerts were assessed for their alignment with the IDEA model’s elements and the clarity of the recommended actions for affected communities. They were systematically analysed to determine their effectiveness in providing timely and understandable messages, their level of personalisation and if they were disseminated through official channels. The findings revealed that the alerts exhibited deficiencies in the IDEA model's internalisation, explanation and action components.