Risk and Crisis Communication: Best Practices for Effective Decision-Making during Severe Weather

There are many decisions the public makes when faced with severe weather impacts such as where to shelter and how to prepare ahead of time. This VORTEX-USA project is an interdisciplinary study that aims to investigate the personalized and actionable risk and crisis information that the public needs to make the most effective decisions for severe weather while referencing their unique structural vulnerability perceptions. In this study, a survey was sent to residents in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Wisconsin to gauge attitudes, beliefs, and actions related to tornado/severe weather sheltering. The survey allows participants to choose two additional optional parts of the study, a structural vulnerability to wind assessment using direct observation, public streetside imagery, visual inspections, and realtor records, can be conducted, and in situ, real-time focus groups, where households are contacted before, during, and after a severe weather event to discuss their preparedness and protective actions for the severe weather event. The information obtained from this study will be used for a risk and crisis communication guide for use by the weather enterprise including NWS, NHC, broadcast media, and emergency managers. In this presentation, we will discuss Year 1 results including strong awareness and preparedness levels; seasonal perceptions about what participant’s expected to happen versus what did happen with severe weather at their locations; significant use of weather apps for severe weather alert notifications; and opinions on how severe weather impacts are messaged such as weather forecasts that, in their opinion, focused too much on a low tornado risk and not enough focus on more significant impacts in events such as excessive rain totals and rainfall rates. There was confusion that risk colors are for impacts other than tornado risk. Across the four states, there were differences in vulnerability to severe weather impacts and to protective action options. Regarding their structural vulnerability perceptions and actions, less than 10% of participants strengthened their homes with fortified roofs, fortified rooms, and in home shelters. Focus group results indicate that even though homes may not be fortified for wind and other severe weather impacts, households generally have a plan for place of best refuge and a preparedness process. These results are being shared with weather enterprise professionals to develop a risk and crisis communication guide for their use in the weather risk and crisis communication process.