Infusing Social Science into Public Outreach Programs at NWS Miami

The mission of the National Weather Service (NWS) is to protect lives and property. In order to do that, we not only have to issue the most accurate products and warnings possible, but also work with the public to ensure that they have the right knowledge and tools to protect themselves against impactful weather. The latter piece of the puzzle requires a robust public outreach program that educates the public about different weather phenomena and the tools available to them to aid in their decision making.

While the NWS has several long-standing outreach campaigns for severe weather, hurricanes, flooding, and other hazards, a recent focus on social science and communication can be harnessed to improve upon the existing outreach structure and also spur new initiatives. It can help infuse new approaches into our public outreach program to elicit higher community engagement using best practices identified by the social science community. This can be done by experimenting with innovative strategies for event advertisement, presented content, event timing and location, and/or partnering with a diverse array of entities that share common goals— potentially boosting attendance and visibility for critical NWS campaigns that encourage weather readiness. Another avenue involves experimenting with virtual events, allowing us to potentially reach a larger audience than we would by solely leveraging in-person venues. Virtual event possibilities include hosting Google Hangout sessions with several schools at once, rather than visiting one classroom at a time.

By synthesizing the aforementioned concepts, principles, and established research concerning outreach endeavors, we will demonstrate ways in which the NWS can bolster its ability to encourage weather readiness for its partners and customers. As a part of this discussion, we will present best practices for accomplishing this enhancement to NWS outreach programs. Moreover, we will demonstrate ways in which the integration of community feedback into molding outreach operations can facilitate outreach enhancement. Finally, we will provide examples by which the NWS Miami - South Florida Weather Forecast Office is investigating the application of these tools, resources, and best practices to enhance its own outreach initiatives, as well as feedback from partners and customers resulting from these enhancements. Ultimately, these examples will serve to illustrate ways in which the NWS can better accomplish its mission in supporting a Weather-Ready Nation.