Various studies indicated the need for crisis communications in natural disasters because a disaster can trigger crisis. Disasters that occur in remote areas need a strategised approach and tailored communication plan to suit with the characteristics of the local community. This research uses chaos theory to describe crisis communication and analyses the role of communications during floods in the Klaten region in Indonesia. Flood is often struck in this area. The concepts of chaos theory are analysed during this disaster, such as guidance on the initial conditions, the shock of the situation, the changes of the existing system, and the emergence of a helper. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 informants from residents in two sub-districts of Klaten and 4 staff in the disaster menagement district office Klaten region (BPBD). The results indicated that although the same catastrophic pattern is observed, people still find it shocking everytime. It was also observed that ideas or strategy to deal with the flood are made spontaneously following the disaster, often in an urgent state. The role of the helper is also very memorable for the community. The communication channel used are informal, face to face and utilising traditional channels. The ability of social media has not been employed by the villagers, particularly the older generation, nevertheless the younger generation could still explore this platform during crisis. Future research can evaluate another important field that appears to be important in disaster communication, which is public diplomacy. This hopefully could explore more asumptions of the chaos theory during disaster.

PurposeSociocultural aspects of populations residing in disaster-prone areas have not often been discussed in disaster evacuation studies. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to describe the sociocultural factors affecting evacuation decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThis was an exploratory research study which used in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect the data. Selection of the informants was also fulfilled via the purposive sampling method with regard to specific criteria. The informants consisted of 20 villagers that had faced a disaster and eight staff members of the Regional Board of Disaster Management of the Republic of Indonesia which is Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD), Ponorogo, who had managed it. The data analysis was ultimately performed through thematic coding.FindingsThe results of the coding analysis revealed that sociocultural aspects were among the primary reasons for evacuation decisions before disasters. In this paper, sociocultural factors shaping evacuation decision behavior could be a result of norms, roles, language, leadership, rules, habits, jobs, perceptions, family engagement, as well as other behaviors demonstrated by individuals and the community.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is not analyzing the role of the social organization or a religious one and also the economic aspect in the evacuation decision-making.Practical implicationsThis paper includes implications for the local government and the BPBD Ponorogo to establish an efficient communication strategy persuading villagers to evacuate. In general, formal policies cannot always be implemented in managing disaster; therefore, visible dedication and solidarity of the members are always needed in order to manage evacuation problems.Originality/valueThis paper meets needs for a study delineating sociocultural factors affecting evacuation decisions before disasters strike. Sociocultural theory could also describe real aspects of culture inherent in the daily lives of populations living in disaster-prone areas.