Effective communication for disaster warnings

New Scientist (21 April 2012) writes that strong warnings have proven to be effective in saving lives during America’s tornado season.

During the 2011 tornado season in America’s Midwest, the National Weather Service (NWS) found the residents waited for visible signs of the threat before responding. In other words, they didn’t believe the warnings until they saw the destruction. Tornado warnings in the past used the following communications: “You should activate your tornado action plan and take protective action now.”

In the first half of April (i.e. in the past two weeks), there have been over 100 tornadoes in the US Midwest, which has been the most severe tornado strike this year. However, the death toll of 6 people has been very low compared with other years. This appears to be a result of the change in disaster warning communications.

After research about how people respond to warnings, the National Weather Service in America tried new warnings this year. In Kansas this year, residents were given the following warning: “Mass destruction is highly likely, making the area unrecognizable to survivors.” It proved to be effective as most people left the tornado-affected areas in time, and quite possibly saved lives.

The new disaster warning message evoked images of the destruction and the tornado’s potential consequences. However, the NWS acknowledges the possibility that the message with “dull” with time as people become immune to its message. Therefore the disaster warning messages will be monitored during further storms for the remainder of the year. But for the time being, strong warnings have been justified.

(www.newscientist.com)

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