Perspectives of the Public from the March 24, 2023 Rolling Fork, Mississippi Tornado.

The 24 March 2023 tornado that devastated Rolling Fork, Mississippi caused 14 fatalities, 150 injuries, and catastrophic damage to structures (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 2023). A team of scientists from the University of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Severe and High Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) and NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) deployed to the field two months later, with the goal of interviewing NWS meteorologists, emergency managers, and members of the public who were impacted by this event. Through post-tornado interviews with members of the public, we investigated warning reception, risk perception, individual preparedness, and protective actions in a highly socially vulnerable community. We discovered that despite efforts made by the NWS and partners across the weather enterprise to warn the public, a majority of Rolling Fork residents we interviewed (n=11; 61%) did not recall directly receiving official tornado warnings. Instead, they described receiving warnings from friends and family. We also found that weather saliency helped some individuals evaluate risks, plan a course of action and act more swiftly, while for others the lack of public sheltering choices, especially among the most socially vulnerable, added stress during and beyond the event. Future research quantifying and contextualizing this impact may help decision makers when assessing what needs their communities have for public sheltering. While our sample size is small, we conclude by recommending that authorities may want to apply an integrated approach to reducing risk among socially vulnerable communities that develops scientific knowledge while strengthening capacity building through programs at the neighborhood and city levels.