13WRN Service Equity Conference at WFO Indianapolis: Taking Results and Applying Towards Improvement to Products and Services

Messaging of impactful hazardous weather information is one of the foundational actions of the National Weather Service (NWS). Getting life-saving weather information into the hands of all members of all communities is paramount to the mission of the NWS. This is especially true when considering how we reach members of the community with limited English proficiency, those with disabilities, limited internet access, families who reside within low-income housing, our unhoused neighbors, senior citizens, and countless others not highlighted. Communities like these who have been historically underserved and underrepresented must be at the forefront of weather safety and preparedness initiatives. The Indianapolis National Weather Service Forecast Office (NWS WFO IND) conducted a first annual Service Equity Conference that comprised community organizations along with local, state and federal agencies that will meet at least annually to have conversations about how to work together to improve weather preparedness and safety messaging toward those who may be especially at risk. During the service equity conference, breakout groups were provided with questions about what hazards they view are the most impactful. The groups that comprised members from the communities listed here had a common concern related to heat as being the most impactful. During the Service Equity Conference, it was found that impacts from heat begin well below what is traditionally known from NWS based criteria. While predicting heat episodes has become increasingly easier with enhanced tools, messaging these episodes and connecting them with those groups listed above remains a tremendous challenge. The recent visualization tools of heat risk focusing on the utility of categories, the expansion of the Dynamic-based Ensembles for Situational IDSS with probabilistic and confidence capabilities could be used more effectively in helping to bridge this gap between the underserved/vulnerable communities and the National Weather Service.