Kathleen Sherman-Morris

Tornadoes, television and trust—A closer look at the influence of the local weathercaster during severe weather

Abstract Previous research has acknowledged the importance of mass media in shaping risk perception and as the channel through which people get information during and after disasters. There is still much more to know about the role mass media (but especially the television medium) plays in peoples precautionary hazard behaviors. Close to 400 people were surveyed in the Memphis, TN television market about their knowledge and perception of the severe weather threat, and their past experiences with tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.The survey results show that respondents do develop a relationship with their local television weathercaster and also trust their weathercaster during severe weather. This relationship and trust can then predict the likelihood of taking shelter during severe weather. Ultimately, the case will be made that the findings may be useful to future hazards research in other locations.

WHO'S GOOGLING WHAT? What Internet Searches Reveal about Hurricane Information Seeking

Two freely available, searchable databases that track the normalized interest in specific search queries, Google Trends and Google Insights, were used to illustrate spatial and temporal patterns in hurricane information seeking. Searches for the word “hurricane” showed a seasonal pattern with spikes in hurricane searches that corresponded to the severity of the storms making landfall. Regional variation in “hurricane” searches was largely driven by the location and magnitude of hurricane landfalls. Catastrophic hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina captured national attention. A great deal of regional variation in search volume existed prior to Hurricane Ikes landfall. Not as much variation was seen before Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay. This variation appeared to be related to changes in the 5-day track forecast as well as other factors such as issuance of watches and warnings. Searches from Louisiana experienced a sharp decrease after the 5-day track forecast shifted away from the state, but be...

Measuring the effectiveness of the graphical communication of hurricane storm surge threat

AbstractColor is an important variable in the graphical communication of weather information. The effect of different colors on understanding and perception is not always considered prior to releasing an image to the public. This study tests the influence of color as well as legend values on the effectiveness of communicating storm surge potential. In this study, 40 individuals participated in an eye-tracking experiment in which they responded to eight questions about five different storm scenarios. Color was varied among three palettes (shades of blue, green to red, and yellow to purple), and legends were varied to display categorical values in feet (<3, 3–6, etc.) or text descriptions (low, medium, etc.). Questions measured accuracy, perceived risk, and perceived helpfulness. Overall, accuracy was high and few statistically significant differences were observed across color/legend combinations. Evidence did suggest that the blue values condition may have been the most difficult to interpret. Statistical...

Pet Ownership and the Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Evacuation Decisions

The authors surveyed a sample of evacuees displaced by Hurricane Gustav about their decision to include or not include household pets in their evacuation plans. Data were collected along two major evacuation routes within the 48-hour window prior to landfall in the southern and coastal regions of Louisiana, south of Interstate 10. Zip code data collected from the surveys showed that respondents most frequently evacuated from the zip code regions of New Orleans, Houma, and Lafayette. Results revealed that the majority of evacuees with pets chose to include them in their evacuation plans, highlighting the significance that household pets play in making timely evacuation decisions. While not significant in every region, evacuation distance was less for people with pets than people who did not have pets in their vehicles.

Understanding Perceptions of the Geosciences Among Minority and Nonminority Undergraduate Students

ABSTRACT This study augments existing literature in understanding student perceptions about the geosciences; we examined the choice of major and science courses taken by 645 students at a large southeastern research university. Differences were examined between underrepresented minority (URM) and nonminority students. We compared responses regarding not only different sciences but also different subfields of geoscience, and where possible, we compared those subjects with biology. Our results show significant differences in (1) the selection of a college major, (2) the selection of science electives, (3) characteristics of the ideal career, (4) interest and self-efficacy in science and math, and (5) career perceptions of geoscience and other select sciences among URM and nonminority students. We identified three main factors that contributed to student selection of college major, including important influencers, sustained identification with or interest in that major, and descriptors of the major itself. We also found that a students advisor may be one of the greatest factors in which science classes an undergraduate student takes at a university. Finally, our research showed that the geosciences scored lower than other science subjects with respect to student perceptions in its ability to help the environment, help society, help them find a job, and salary. This was true for each of the geoscience fields measured when compared with every other science, technology, engineering, and math fields measured with the exception of physics.

Introducing Teachers to Geospatial Technology while Helping Them to Discover Vegetation Patterns in Owens Valley, California

A field course attended by science teachers in California’s Owens Valley incorporated geospatial technology to reinforce the relationship between elevation, aspect, or the direction a mountain slope faces, and vegetation. Teachers were provided GPS units to record locations and plant communities throughout the 9-day field course. At the end of the field course, they completed an exercise utilizing ArcGIS and/or Google Earth. A similar essay question about vegetation and elevation was answered at the beginning of the course and after the GIS/Google Earth exercise. Scores on this pre- and post-activity question as well as responses to a survey questionnaire indicate that GIS and Google Earth both helped the teachers understand how elevation influences vegetation. The role of aspect was not as well demonstrated in the post-test responses as that of elevation. Teachers reported being more likely to use Google Earth in their classrooms than GIS (75% to 58.3%). Combined with GPS, Google Earth provides a free, easy and flexible way to teach a number of earth science concepts and meet several National Geography Standards.

Theoretical Matters: On the Need for Hazard and Disaster Theory Developed Through Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration: Perspective

Hazard and disaster research requires a willingness to step outside of traditional disciplinary ontological and epistemological assumptions to both accommodate and integrate different perspectives. Moreover, the complex qualities of hazards and disasters necessitate interdisciplinary approaches to inform theory development that encompasses environmental, human, and infrastructure systems at multiple scales and units of analysis. Unfortunately, truly integrative hazard and disaster theory at a scale broad enough to account for the many systems and processes involved is currently limited. In this article, we argue that robust hazard and disaster theory can only arise from interdisciplinary research and collaboration. We examine challenges to the development of interdisciplinary hazard and disaster theory, and discuss the characteristics of theory necessary for the goal-oriented nature of research aimed at reducing disaster impact.

Optimistic bias and the consistency of hurricane track forecasts

Forecast graphics depicting a hurricane track and uncertainty cone have become pervasive in the communication of hurricane risk. This study examined whether the effect of hurricane tracks on risk perception is influenced by the consistency and optimistic bias. Specifically, it focused on the differences between forecasts that remain consistent compared to those that veer away for a forecast period. To answer the research question, this study conducted online surveys in which respondents from two coastal universities were asked risk perception questions based on a series of forecast graphics. Other variables measured included dispositional optimism, general hurricane risk perception, and hurricane information use. Optimistic bias was calculated from two of the risk perception questions. Results did not indicate strong support for an influence of optimistic bias or changing forecast track on risk perception. There was limited evidence that a veering track scenario may lead to differences in risk judgments about another location, but most measures of personal risk estimation were not influenced by the track. Dispositional optimism was not related to optimistic bias or many of the risk perception variables tested, including general hurricane risk perception. There did appear to be an interaction between track scenario and optimistic bias with more relationships being significant among those who received the consistent track scenario.

Vulnerability to prolonged cold: a case study of the Zeravshan Valley of Tajikistan

Tajikistan like other mountainous nations in Central Asia faces the dual problem of poverty and exposure to multiple natural hazards such as mass wasting, flooding, and prolonged cold. In this case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 rural Tajik households in order to characterize their vulnerability and adaptation to prolonged winter cold. The household interviews were supplemented with interviews with village leaders, doctors, and school staff. Key interview themes regarding the road network were then compared with GIS road network analysis of the region. Results suggested that the area is highly vulnerable to the impacts of prolonged cold, which could ultimately be made worse through the unsustainable land-use practices, especially for agricultural and biofuel resources. The combination of unreliable sources of income and lower accessibility to markets in winter results in less ability of the residents of these rural villages to mitigate the impacts of prolonged cold. Analysis of the road network using GIS provided additional evidence for the influence of accessibility on vulnerability to prolonged cold.