"You Haven't Seen This Before": Collective Community Experience and the New Extremes

Many members of the public tend to rely on the collective experiences of themselves, family members, and friends when preparing for extreme events. This strategy works when the community has sufficient recent exposure to similar extreme events, but extreme events by their nature are rare. When collective experience is inadequate, advice and instructions be broadcasters become particularly important.

Climate change enhances the likelihood of events outside the prior historic envelope.