Leveraging the WRN Ambassador Initiative with Vulnerable Stakeholders

The Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador initiative began in 2013 as a unifying effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation’s readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against extreme weather, water, and climate events.  Through the initiative, it has enabled great new partnerships with groups that are uniquely vulnerable to high impact weather events.  In 2016, this initiative was utilized to reach out to stadium managers, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, and the boating community to help them become more resilient to the possibility of a fatal lightning strike.  Outreach and preparedness with these groups was initially focused on lightning, but by becoming WRN Ambassadors it enabled a closer working relationship for all hazards and has resulted in tools and resources to help educate the public.

        By becoming WRN Ambassadors, Gallaudet University, multiple organizations serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in four states, the Stadium Managers Association, the Event Safety Alliance, and U.S. Sailing have all taken it upon themselves to take this initiative to another level.  Leveraging each Ambassador’s unique skillsets and stakeholders, these innovative partnerships have resulted in a new slogan for the hearing loss  community, a new lightning public safety announcement, more stadiums with weather emergency action plans, and a weather safety plan for the boating community.  This presentation will highlight the actions taken and help energize future engagement to vulnerable stakeholders in the weather, water, and climate enterprise.