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COMMUNICATING SERIOUS WARNING MESSAGES: 

COMMUNICATING SERIOUS WARNING MESSAGES Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference DR. BETTY HEARN MORROW March 9, 2005 Jacksonville, Fl

Serious Warning Messages Exploratory Project : 

Serious Warning Messages Exploratory Project Identify issues Suggest topics for future research Purposive Sample: Warning Coordinator Meteorologists Broadcast Meteorologists

Slide3: 

Working Together to Save Lives National Weather Service Strategic Plan For 2005-2010 SERVE SOCIETY’S NEEDS FOR WEATHER AND WATER INFORMATION Reduced loss of life, injury, and damage to the economy Better, quicker, and more valuable weather and water information to support improved decisions Increased customer satisfaction with weather and water information and services Work with private industry, universities, and national and international agencies to create and leverage partnerships that foster more effective information services

Slide4: 

Adapted from Lindell, Michael K. and Ronald W. Perry. 2004. Communicating Environmental Risk in Multiethnic Communities. Sage. Thousand Oaks, CA.

Issues Identified Thus Far: 

Issues Identified Thus Far Too many different products

PRODUCTS: 

PRODUCTS ADVISORIES OUTLOOKS WATCHES WARNINGS FORECASTS

Issues Identified Thus Far: 

Issues Identified Thus Far Too many different products Confusing format

FORMAT ISSUES: 

FORMAT ISSUES FIRE WEATHER WATCH Coastal Santa Rosa (Florida) FIRE WEATHER WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 630 AM CSIMOB FEB 28 2005 FLZ001>006-008-020000- ...A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FORTUESDAY...INCLUDED IN THIS RED FLAG WARNING ARE THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:ESCAMBIA FLORIDA...SANTA ROSA FLORIDA...OKALOOSA FLORIDA...COASTALWALTON FLORIDA.DISCUSSION: A DRY AIRMASS WILL MOVE INTO PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERNFLORIDA PANHANDLE TODAY INTO TUESDAY. LOWEST RELATIVE HUMIDITYVALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DIP INTO THE UPPER 20 PERCENTILE RANGE BYTUESDAY NOONTIME. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL REMAIN BELOW 35PERCENT UNTIL 5 PM. FIRE WEATHER WATCH Coastal Santa Rosa (Florida) NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 630 AM CSIMOB FEB 28 2005 FLZ001>006-008-020000- A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FOR TUESDAY: ESCAMBIA SANTA ROSA OKALOOSA COASTAL WALTON A DRY AIRMASS WILL MOVE INTO PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE TODAY INTO TUESDAY. LOWEST RELATIVE HUMIDITYVALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DIP INTO THE UPPER 20 PERCENTILE RANGE BY TUESDAY NOONTIME RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL REMAIN BELOW 35PERCENT UNTIL 5 PM

Issues Identified Thus Far: 

Issues Identified Thus Far Too many different products Confusing format Non-standard terminology across hazards

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING: 

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING: 

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING

Slide12: 

Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages 1999 National Disaster Education Coalition American Red Cross Federal Emergency Management Agency NOAA/National Weather Service National Fire Protection Association U.S. Geological Survey Institute for Business and Home Safety International Association of Emergency Managers U.S.D.A. Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service AUDIENCES: Emergency managers, meteorologists, teachers, disaster and fire educators, public affairs/public relations personnel, mitigation specialists, media personnel GOAL : To deliver consistent disaster safety messages HAZARDS COVERED: Chemical emergency Earthquake Fire Flood and Flash Flood Heat Hurricane Landslide and Debris Flow (mudslide) Severe Thunderstorm Tornado Tsunami Volcano Wildfire Winter Storm

Slide13: 

Recommendations: One or more working groups, with representatives from providers of different types of warnings, equipment manufacturers, network operators, and broadcasters, should develop and review on an ongoing basis: A single, consistent, easily understood terminology that can be used as a standard across all hazards and situations A standard method should be developed to collect and relay instantaneous and automatically all types of hazard warnings and reports locally, regionally, and nationally for input into a wide variety of dissemination systems. (NWS system suggested) Warnings should be delivered through as many communication channels as practicable so that those users who are at risk can receive them whether inside or outside, in transportation systems, or at home, work, school, or shopping, and such.

Slide14: 

Cross-Hazard Warning System Scheme From Mileti, Dennis S. and John H. Sorensen. Communication of Emergency Public Warnings. FEMA. 1990.

Issues Identified Thus Far: 

Issues Identified Thus Far Too many different products Confusing format Non-standard terminology across hazards Necessity for action not always clear

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING: 

COMPONENTS OF A WARNING

Slide18: 

FEMA. Effective Disaster Warnings. 2000. www.fema.gov. Lindell, Michael K. and Ronald W. Perry. 2004. Communicating Environmental Risk in Multiethnic Communities. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. Mileti, Dennis and John H. Sorensen. 1990. Communication of Emergency Public Warnings. ORNL-6609. www.emc.ornl.gov. National Disaster Education Council. Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages. www.fema.gov. National Science and Technology Council. Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. 2000. Effective Disaster Warnings. Report by the Working Group on Natural Disaster Information Systems. Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction. Washington: Executive Office of the President of the United States. National Weather Service. 2004. Working Together to Save Lives. National Weather Service Strategic Plan for 2005-2010. www.noaa.nws.gov. Partnership for Public Warning. 2003. A National Strategy for Integrated Public Warning Policy and Capability. PPW Report 2003-01. www.partnershipforpublicwarning.org. Rodriguez, Havidan. 2004. From Technology to Integrated Warning Systems: The Social and Organizational Dimensions of Severe Weather Events and Disasters. PowerPoint. www.udel.edu/DRC. State University System of New York. 1998. Empowering the Forecast Consumer: An Investigation of Citizen Need For, and the Technology for Communicating, Process-Centered Weather Information. National Weather Service. COMET Outreach Program. www.comet.ucar.edu/outreach. University of Charleston.2001. Improving Hurricane Forecast Effectiveness. National Weather Service. COMET Outreach Program. www.comet.ucar.edu/outreach. REFERENCES

Ideas or Comments?: 

Ideas or Comments? Contact: Dr. Betty Morrow betty@bmorrow.com. (305) 385-5953