DOI: 10.17603/ds2-4549-xf35
title: Protocolo de entrevista a meteorólogos
title: in Improving Knowledge about NWS Forecaster Core Partner Needs for Reducing Vulnerability to Compound Threats in Landfalling Tropical Cyclones Amid Covid-19

description: The Spanish Broadcast Meteorologist Interview Protocol was developed to investigate the roles, experiences, and challenges faced by Hispnic-Latino meteorologists during hurricanes, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus was on understanding how meteorologists communicate risk, address compound hazards like wind and water threats, and adapt their practices in response to the pandemic.

The investigation was carried out through in-depth interviews with meteorologists, who were asked a series of structured questions about their job roles, risk communication strategies, and the impact of COVID-19 on their work. The protocol explored various aspects, such as the types of hazards that meteorologists prioritized, the specific concerns of their audience, and how the pandemic influenced their operational procedures and messaging. It was tested through expert review by collaborators from the meteorological community and professionals in broadcast meteorology to ensure its relevance and effectiveness.

The outcome of this investigation provided valuable insights into the crucial role of meteorologists in conveying complex risk information during overlapping crises, such as a hurricane amid a pandemic. The findings underscored the need for tailored communication strategies to effectively reach vulnerable populations and manage dual threats.

The data collected from these interviews can be reused for future research on risk communication, especially in the context of multiple simultaneous hazards. Additionally, they can guide the development of training programs for meteorologists, improve emergency response protocols, and optimize public communication strategies in similar future events. These data are also valuable for policymakers seeking to understand the challenges faced by meteorologists and to develop policies that support effective risk communication in crisis situations.
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El Protocolo de Entrevista a Meteorólogos fue desarrollado para investigar los roles, experiencias y desafíos enfrentados por los meteorólogos hispano-latinos durante huracanes, particularmente en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19. El enfoque se centró en comprender cómo los meteorólogos comunican el riesgo, abordan los peligros compuestos como las amenazas de viento y agua, y adaptan sus prácticas en respuesta a la pandemia.

La investigación se llevó a cabo a través de entrevistas en profundidad con meteorólogos, a quienes se les formularon una serie de preguntas estructuradas sobre sus funciones laborales, estrategias de comunicación de riesgos y el impacto de la COVID-19 en su trabajo. El protocolo exploró varios aspectos, como los tipos de peligros que los meteorólogos priorizaron, las preocupaciones específicas de su audiencia y cómo la pandemia influyó en sus procedimientos operativos y mensajes. Fue probado mediante una revisión experta por parte de colaboradores de la comunidad meteorológica y profesionales en meteorología de difusión para asegurar su relevancia y eficacia.

El resultado de esta investigación proporcionó valiosos conocimientos sobre el papel crucial de los meteorólogos en la transmisión de información de riesgos complejos durante crisis superpuestas, como un huracán en medio de una pandemia. Los hallazgos subrayaron la necesidad de estrategias de comunicación adaptadas para llegar efectivamente a las poblaciones vulnerables y manejar las amenazas duales.

Los datos recopilados de estas entrevistas pueden reutilizarse para futuras investigaciones sobre la comunicación de riesgos, especialmente en el contexto de múltiples peligros simultáneos. Además, pueden guiar el desarrollo de programas de capacitación para meteorólogos, mejorar los protocolos de respuesta a emergencias y optimizar las estrategias de comunicación pública en eventos similares futuros. Estos datos también son valiosos para los responsables de políticas que buscan comprender los desafíos que enfrentan los meteorólogos y desarrollar políticas que respalden una comunicación de riesgos eficaz en situaciones de crisis.
description: As compound hazards, landfalling tropical cyclones (LTC) pose a significant risk to public safety, bringing significant winds, flooding rains, and storm surge in their wake. In the context of Covid-19, risks for harm can become heightened as people make decisions about how to prioritize health concerns for themselves and others amid complex weather risks. When tornadoes co-occur with flash flooding during LTCs, what we call TORFFs, warnings for each can contain contradictory advice that can complicate people’s understanding of the threat that is most dangerous them: warnings for tornadoes suggest people get to the lowest part of a structure and flash flooding suggest people to get to the highest part of their home. Recent events, like Hurricanes Harvey and Florence confirm TORFF confusion can be widespread and deadly. Research by Nielsen et al (2015) estimates that over 400 such TORFFs occur across the U.S. each year. While National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters assess and warn for these threats, their core partners in broadcast meteorology and emergency management, translate warnings to help individuals decide which threats and safety protocols are most important for people to take and when. Yet, little is understood about how these experts make sense of or communicate TORFF warnings nor how the uncertainties during Covid-19 inform their knowledge about which populations are the most vulnerable. With the goal of helping NWS forecasters improve warning practices and decision support for core partners in emergency management and broadcast meteorology during compound hazards, especially for vulnerable populations in Covid-19, this project will examine how core partners conceptualize, plan for, and communicate TORFFs in LTCs. By doing so, this project will develop new knowledge about (a) how partners attend to, assess, and communicate compound hazards and how Covid-19 magnifies challenges for partners’ when giving advice to the public and planning for evacuations and shelters; and (b) how this understanding shapes and is shaped by partners’ conceptualization of changes in and indicators for the public’s vulnerability. Building on this knowledge, we will create (c) pathways research-to-operations (R2O) that result in products that can help build forecaster and core partner situational awareness and best practices for compound hazards. We use a qualitative-lead mixed methods approach to the problem, beginning with interviews with core partners in Y1 conducted after an LTC, and a national survey of core partners in coastal areas informed by initial results in Y2. Results will help us build a continuously updated database of TORFFs warnings for LTCs, which will enable future research and training for NWS forecasters and their partners. Knowledge of how NWS core partners understand and respond to threats in these contexts will contribute to a better forecaster decision support. These insights can be used to improve communication of forecast and warning risk information for different hazards at various spatial and temporal time scales and lead times, generate insights for NWS Impact Based Decision Support Services (IDSS), and help reduce community vulnerability to future compound threats.