In communicating, graphic presentations of material are highly effective. The AHPS for the Des Moines shows inundation zones and associated probabilities in the forecasts. Emergency managers prefer probabilistic forecasts to none at all, although for climatic forecasts there is resistance to predictions. Social scientists do not know whether proper education will overcome public confusion over probabilistic forecasts. A major issue is good communications among scientists and among scientists, emergency managers, and the public.
Education is an important component in gaining acceptance of probabilistic forecasts.
There is a strong need to work with different agencies and others to define what is useful.