Overview of HFIP Socio-Economic Research/Projects

1. Overview of HFIP Socio-Economic Research/Projects Jennifer Sprague Strategic Planning and Policy National Weather Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2. Purpose Provide overview: HFIP Socio-Economic Working Group HFIP Socio-Economic Research and Recommendations Update on Weather & Emergency Management (WxEM) 2 2

3. HFIP Socio-Economic Working GroupMembers Co-Lead by NHC Director Bill Read & Jennifer Sprague Includes: • NHC: Edward Rapapport, Jamie Rhome & Robbie Berg • Two NWS Regional Operations: Lance Wood (WFO Texas), HendricusLofus (WFO CT) • FEMA Representative: Matthew Green • Four State Emergency Managers: Chuck Lanza (FL), Mike Sprayberry (NC), Christopher Moore (TX), William Hackett (CT) • Social Scientist: Hugh Gladwin • Media Representative: Rick Knapp • Private Sector Representative: Karen Townsend (HURREVAC)

4. HFIP Socio-Economic Working GroupPurpose • Collaboration and dialogue among NWS/NHC Partners: Emergency Management Community, FEMA, Media and Private Sector • Identify and prioritize NHC graphical and textual products in need of social science research to better convey risk and uncertainty.

5. HFIP Socio-Economic Research • Jointly funded by HFIP and NOS Coastal Service Center • Eastern Research Group (ERG) Awarded Contract 09/21/11 • Project Term: September 21, 2011 – March 30, 2013 Purpose: • Assess whether certain NHC graphical and textual products effectively convey tropical cyclone risk and uncertainty • Prototype new or restructured NHC products, information and servicesbased on social science research • Test and retest those products with the EM Community, Media and General Public.

6. HFIP Socio-Economic Research Two Phases: • Phase 1: • Assess user needs for storm surge, wind information, including type of information, format and delivery by audience (General Public, Media, and EM Community) • Provide social science-based recommendations to HFIP Socio-Economic Working Group for improved NHC forecast products, information & services (including wind and storm surge information) • Phase 2: • Test and retest prototypes of NHC graphics and visualizations based on research in Phase 1

7. HFIP Socio-Economic Research Synergies Coordination with other NOAA Social Science Research: • HFIP Socio-Economic Impacts Assessment • Assessing Current Storm Surge Information from the Public Perspective • Collaboration with Weather and Emergency Management Decision Support (WxEM) – Tropical Use Case Study

8. What is WxEM Weather and Emergency Management Decision Support (WxEM) Collaboration through the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellite (CICS) between OST, OCWWS, OAR and the RENaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) Formally known as the “RENCI” project On July 1, 2011, University of North Carolina (UNC) Institute for the Environment (IE) became lead organization for the WxEMproject Continuity with WxEM project as main PIs and social scientists remain involved. 8 8

9. WxEM Goal • Make NWS weather information easier to find, understand, and use by the EM Community • Improve Weather Decision Support to EM Community • Work closely with local WFOs • Use social science to learn about the decision making process, how information is used and passed along to others • Keep the user involved in every step • Incorporate social science findings into rapidly developed prototypes

10. Tropical Weather Use Case Preliminary Findings

11. Tropical Weather Use Case Preliminary Findings

12. Tropical Weather Use Case Preliminary Findings