The Importance of Protective Action in the Understanding of Tornado Watches and Warnings

In the USA, The National Weather Service (NWS) is the public agency responsible for monitoring weather and issuing weather outlooks, watches, and warnings to the public. It is expected that these statements will encourage... [ view full abstract ]

In the USA, The National Weather Service (NWS) is the public agency responsible for monitoring weather and issuing weather outlooks, watches, and warnings to the public. It is expected that these statements will encourage people to take actions to protect life and property. ‘Watches’ and ‘Warnings’ are the primary severe weather messages intended to accomplish this goal as a result significant prior effort has been focused on the degree to which people understand these terms. Findings from this literature on the understanding of tornado watch and warning varies considerably. Some studies state that people have a good understanding of the terms, others disagree with this optimistic view. A review of the literature suggests that much of the inconsistency is due to the methods and to the degree that each study focuses on the threat level denoted by each term rather that looking at the level of threat and the protective action recommended.
In order to further explore this issue, this study relies on a survey developed through the use of a Random Digit Dial Sample and a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system focused on protective action decision-making in counties affected by a severe storm or tornado warning. The purpose of the study is to evaluate people’s understanding of both the threat and action parts of the message associated with tornado watches and warnings. Further we explore the effects of gender, race, age and level of education on understanding. Finally, we explore the degree to which all these factors influence protective action. Findings reveal that few people fully understand (threat and action) tornado watch and warning mainly defining the terms according to the level of threat. Interesting differences in the understanding of tornado watch and warnings have been also found by demographics.
The study concludes with the provision of suggestions for better managing the process of warning population in case of tornadoes.