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PPOO-16 Cynthia Ann Nelson Senior Staff Metearo10gist/Coordinator for Meteorological Programs Office .of the Federal Coardinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Suite 1500, 8455 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Ph: (301) 427-2002 x26 emai1: Cynthia.Ne1son@noaa.gov . Impr6ving Public Resp6nse t6 Hurricane Warnings As part .of the National Hurricane Conference (NBC), Ms. Cynthia Ann Nelsan, Office of the Federal Coordinator far Meteora10gical Services and Supporting Research (OFCM), .organized, and with Mr. Scott Kiser, National Weather Service, moderated a panel session an "Improving Public Response to Hurricane Warnings." The purpose .of this panel was ta elicit suggestions and recammendatians on haw ta improve public response to hurricane warnings. These suggestions cau1d then be used ta imprave current and future warning aperatians. The gaal was ta examine four areas related to the public's response, ta provide to and solicit ideas fram sessian attendees, and ta open a dialogue an ways ta imprave that response. The four areas were societal and behaviaral response, cammunications, education, and pubic outreach. The panel members were asked to emphasize coordination between graups to achieve impravements. Audience participation in the session cut across several participating Natianal Hurricane Conference groups. The panel members were Dr. Betty Hearn Morrow (Co-Directar .of the Laboratory for Social and Behavioral Research, Flarida Intematianal University); Dr. Jay Baker (Department .of Geagraphy, Florida State University); Mr. John Sakich (National Weather Service); Dr. Steve Lyons (The Weather Channel); Dr. Rocky Lopes (American Red Cross Headquarters); Dr. Chris Adams (Colorado State University); Mr. Paul Trotter . (Meteorologist-in-Charge, New Orleans NWSFO); and Mr. John Gambel (FEMA). The fallowing are the session's reconunendations: + Consult with FEMA (Map Modernizatian Program) ta investigate the p6ssibility .of including sacietal vulnerability mapping within the framewark of the program. + Cantinue to focus an education and recommend a training session at the next NHC devoted to educating the populace an the impacts of tropical cyclones. Recommend to NHC .organizers that the Natural Disaster Educatian Caalitian give a repart an their activities during the general session. + Develop a madel for integrating and caardinating the inputs from the weather community (impacts), the emergency management cammunity (respanse), and the media ta ensure a frequent and cansistent message is delivered ta the public. A first step may be to identify knawn success stories and build an those successes or develop a prototype experiment or model. + Recammend that the Interagency Coordinating Cammittee on Hurricanes (lCCOH) and the OFCM Committee an Enviranmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs wark together to assess what is already being done and what is needed to improve public response. This assessment should then be used to make program and palicy recommendations on how to fill the gaps. + Use a OFCM communicatians joint actian group to wark on the communications issues. + Recommend that the American Metearologica1 Saciety endorse and adopt the "Talking About Disasters: Guide for Standard Messages" as a standard for cammunications with the public. The entire OFCM Panel Sessian Notes and-Recommendations can be reviewed by accessing the OFCM web page at: hllp://www.afcm.gov/. The OFCM Point of Contact is Ms. Cynthia Ann Nelson, Senior Staff Meteorologist/Coordinator for Meteorological Programs, Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, Suite 1500, 8455 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Ph: (301) 427-2002 x26; emai1: Cynthia.Nelsan@noaa.gov .