A High Resolution Communication Analysis of the Integrated Warning Team During the 26 December 2015 Sunnyvale/Garland/Rowlett TX Tornado

On 26 December 2015, 12 tornadoes occurred across North and Central Texas, killing 13, injuring 635, and causing more than $40 million in property damage. The majority of the impacts to life and property were the direct result of the EF-4 tornado that affected the communities of Sunnyvale, Garland, and Rowlett. Previous research regarding Integrated Warning Team (IWT) communication during high impact weather events focused on how core groups of an IWT communicate with one another. The nature of these interactions was analyzed to better understand the effectiveness of IWT group communications with a goal to improve the effectiveness of IWTs during high impact weather events.

This study builds on previous research by taking a more in-depth look at the nature of communications within individual IWT groups during one specific high impact weather event. . All forms of messaging from all members of the IWT were collected and organized so that a network analysis of these communications could be performed. Instead of tracking messaging in core partner groups for analysis, sub-group communication analysis is employed to better understand the dynamics of individuals communicating within the IWT framework. The results of this analysis will be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of the IWT network during this event to improve its effectiveness in future events. The analysis techniques outlined in this study can hopefully be applied to IWTs in other parts of the United States to help improve the communication of hazardous weather to increase community resiliency to high impact weather events.