EFFECTIVELY REACHING COMMUNITIES—AND HOW RESIDENTS WANT TO BE REACHED Nearly nine in 10 respondents indicated they are as willing (40%) or more willing (47%) to sign up for public safety alerts than they were two years ago. When asked about their personal communication preferences in the event of severe weather or a natural disaster, respondents ranked text/SMS notifications (35%), sirens/other public broadcast alerts (15%) or a weather app (11%) as their top three preferred communication methods. Their personal preferences, however, are not in line with the ways that they currently receive updates.
Given that members of the public are accustomed to doing almost everything—working, shopping, reading and communicating—on their cell phones, it makes sense that they would prefer to receive emergency notifications via text/SMS messages.
When asked which communication method they would choose to be their source of truth during natural disasters today, respondents ranked SMS/text messages from state or local officials as their first pick (34%), followed by mobile alerts via a safety app provided by their local community (32%) and local media coverage (26%). Given SMS/text messages are the top pick for both preferred communication method and single source of truth, text messaging ranks as a key component of severe weather communications. In recent years, many members of the public have received updates about natural disasters via social media. But as the social media landscape continues to change (i.e., Twitter limiting Weather Service automated tweets that communities often use to share severe weather watches, warnings and advisories), those charged with emergency management cannot rely solely on these channels to engage and inform audiences in a quick and reliable manner. It is also interesting to note that while 40% of respondents said they currently receive updates about severe weather via social media, only 8% would choose social media as their source of truth during weather events.
How do you currently receive updates about natural disasters, including severe weather events, impacting your local area?
59 % 54 % 50 % 40 % 26 % 25 % 23 % 16 % 15 % 8 %
WEATHER APP
TEXT ALERTS FROM LOCAL AND/OR STATE OFFICIALS
If you had to pick one, which of the following communication methods would be your source of truth during natural disasters/severe weather events?
LOCAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
SMS (text) messages from state or local officials Mobile alerts via a safety app provided by my local community
Local media coverage
WORD OF MOUTH
Updates from my city/ town on social media
32 %
WEATHER RADIO
26%
SAFETY APP PROVIDED BY MY LOCAL COMMUNITY VOICE CALLS FROM LOCAL AND/OR STATE OFFCIALS
34 %
8%
DIGITAL SIGNAGE
0
20
40
60
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker