PR roles and risk in a post-Katrina climate

PR people often deal with risk to clients' and employers' reputations. However, practitioners are less visible in communicating about more tangible threats to health and well-being. The literature is slender in terms of contributions from public relations scholars, other than noted researcher, Robert Heath. He assumes rather than details a public relations responsibility in risk communication. This paper discusses risk communication with practice issues in mind, using Heath's writings as a basis from which to explore and expand possible dimensions of a PR role in communicating risk.