Equitable Weather Messaging and Community Engagement

With recent upticks in the rate and severity of hazardous weather, it is now more important than ever to ensure that life-saving weather information is reaching all members of our communities. This includes those with limited English proficiency, individuals with disabilities, persons with limited internet access, families who are living in low-income housing, and our unhoused neighbors. Communities like these who have been historically underserved and underrepresented must be at the forefront of these initiatives. The Indianapolis Weather Forecast Office has approached this call to action by inviting a diverse group of community representatives to a full day conference to discuss how we can better serve their organizations and their constituents. Together we will have ongoing conversations about how to get the word out about weather safety and preparation to those who may be especially at risk. By offering up a seat at the table and walking in with open minds, we are allowing trusted community advocates the space to express their concerns and propose solutions to the gaps in communication we have seen in the past. We are here to prove that equitable weather messaging saves lives and that the National Weather Service can be an active member in each community that we serve across the country.

Through these conversations we have learned that each community perceives risk differently and uses different methods to receive their information. Furthermore, each community is impacted in a different way by hazardous weather. Where extreme heat may be a concern in one community, extreme cold may be of greater concern for another. We also learned that language and ability barriers are potentially the greatest obstacles to achieving equitable risk communication. These observations call for a change in the way we communicate risk and urge us to tailor information to each group. They also call for an intimate understanding of the complex sociocultural dynamics of each demographic. This is where partnerships with trusted organizations come into play. Not only can these organizations give us crucial insight to the challenges their constituents face when it comes to receiving and comprehending our information, but they can also act as direct liaisons between us and the people we serve. By attaching familiar faces to our messaging, our information will have both a broader reach and a greater influence. The best way to learn about our communities is to hear from our community members. In this mission towards inclusive risk communication, we need all hands on deck.