Risk Perceptions and Preparations for Storm Surge Flooding: Workshops with Immersive Visualizations and Stakeholder Interactions

Many factors shape public perceptions of extreme weather risk; understanding these factors is important to encourage preparedness and evacuation. This presentation describes techniques and preliminary results from two workshops on preparedness for coastal flooding from storm surge. At one workshop, over 150 U.S. college students participated in a four-hour virtual workshop. The other workshop involves community leaders in vulnerable and disadvantaged areas of South East New York City as participants. Both workshops will evaluate the impact of: (1) standard weather forecasting graphics vs. 3D computer graphics visualization and (2) awareness of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives about the risk of coastal flooding.

Student participants experienced a narrative about a hurricane with potential for devastating storm surge flooding on a fictitious coastal college campus. They answered survey questions before, at key points during, and after the narrative, interspersed with forecasts leading up to predicted storm landfall. During facilitated breakout groups, participants were assigned to role-play characters and to fill out an “ethical matrix,” a tool that makes explicit the perspectives of diverse stakeholders. Discussing the matrix encouraged them to consider circumstances impacting others’ evacuation decisions. Participants’ comments suggest that several workshop components may have influenced their perceptions of personal risk, risks to others, the importance of monitoring weather, and preparing for emergencies. Overall, the workshop experience led participants to appreciate the evacuation challenges of others. In addition, the workshop also promoted increases in participants’ perception of storm surge risk to themselves and their community. The workshop also increased participants’ intentions to prepare for storm surge flooding. Participants were also more likely to ask for help and offer help to others as a result of their experience in the workshop. Interestingly, the 3D computer graphics visualizations of storm surge flooding did not have a significant impact on participants, though comments suggest the simulations helped participants better understand flooding heights.

The second workshop involves community leaders who will also experience the same components as the previous workshop to evaluate its effect on different demographics with different needs.

This presentation will present results from the workshop with students and preliminary results from the workshop with community leaders. This work could be used to promote better preparedness in people at risk from storm surge flooding. The results from the first workshop suggest that stakeholder interactions and collaborative decision making can help people be more prepared and encourage evacuation from hurricanes.