Tornado Sheltering: The Viewpoint Among Broadcast Meteorologists

One of the greatest natural hazards that is faced with in much of the United States are tornadoes. Despite improvements in the warning processes, the risk of significant loss of life remains high. That is particularly true with vulnerable communities which have higher proportions of mobile homes; however, violent tornadoes are very difficult to manage in permanent homes or buildings as well. As a result, tornado shelters have been built in some communities and have become available to the public. However, their presence is intermittent, and there are many tornado-prone areas that lack such shelters.

After a public survey, it was found that there was unmet demand for tornado shelters and, at least in the most extreme circumstances, a large percentage of the population would be willing to utilize such. That said, communication was key to identifying their location and usefulness, and a separate survey with broadcast meteorologists was necessary to identify whether they felt such shelters were needed. It was found that better communication of tornado shelters would increase utilization rates either in circumstances where they already exist or where the need exists. Some residents, particularly those in mobile homes, were likely to utilize shelters more frequently, which increased their need to an even greater extent as well as their promotion.

Once both the public and broadcast meteorologists were surveyed, it was found that the public was strongly supportive of mobile applications about tornado shelters in their area, and local television sources and the websites and applications related to those stations were also popular sources. Broadcast meteorologists in the Deep South in particular mentioned the need for more shelters and advocated construction. They mentioned that mobile apps would be quite useful for the public to locate shelters. Having a Weather-Ready Nation means going the extra mile in finding new methods to protect the population. Several stations have already utilized best practices that can be adopted nationwide as well, and work can take place not just at the station level but also at the corporate level as many people travel across market area lines.