Geographic Differences in Emergency Management Decision-Making : A Case Study of Severe Weather in the Midwest

Abstract

Tornadoes are one of the most dangerous meteorological hazards on a local scale. While tornadoes can occur virtually anywhere, response--and the processes that lead to it--can vary based on location. It is the task of an emergency manager (EM) to inform the public about the threat of impending weather. However, the completion of that task differs with each EM as various situational and cognitive factors are geographically dependent, such as tornado experience and training. A survey taken by emergency support function personnel within five National Weather Service weather forecast office locations is analyzed in conjunction with historical county tornado data to investigate the influences of various factors present while EMs make decisions. Perceptions of warning effectiveness, warning message priorities, and past tornadic activity are specifically evaluated for the purpose of discovering the communication needs EMs have in various locations. Results show that very few significant differences in response are geographically dependent and that false alarms have little effect on how EMs make subsequent severe weather decisions. The results from this research can provide meteorologists with the knowledge of specific EM decision-making needs, which will enable the EMs' tasks to be more effective and, in turn, they will be able to better protect the public during severe weather.