Assessing Stakeholder Awareness and Perceptions of Equity in Communicating Extreme Weather Rsks to Communities

ORCID

Rokooei: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-653X

MSU Affiliation

College of Architecture, Art and Design; Department of Building Construction Science

Creation Date

2026-10-30

Abstract

Several studies suggest that historically underserved and socially vulnerable communities (HUSVCs) are disproportionately impacted by extreme weather events. Integrating equity into risk communication for these stressors is a critical step in enhancing the resilience of HUSVCs by acknowledging their lower adaptive capacity and greater exposure to hazards. This study examines stakeholder awareness and perceptions of equity in risk communication to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. To address this issue, nine focus groups were conducted with 35 participants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Headquarters (NOAA HQ), National Weather Service Weather Forecasting Offices (NWS WFOs), and emergency management agencies from several states across United States. Discussions focused on assessing the quality and accessibility of NWS products and services (NWS P&S) for monitoring and forecasting, strategies for risk communication, methods for identifying HUSVCs, barriers limiting the reach and utility of P&S, and perceptions of service equity. Thematic analysis of responses identified 17 main themes and 41 subthemes from 90 coded responses. Findings indicate that NWS P&S for monitoring and forecasting are widely used, with risk communication primarily relying on social media and the NWS website. While no consistent method was identified for defining and locating HUSVCs, some participants cited existing indices such as the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) as valuable tools. Key barriers included a lack of awareness of available services and usability challenges with the NWS website. Additionally, stakeholders emphasized that equitable service delivery requires ensuring all communities have equitable access to NWS P&S, regardless of socioeconomic or sociodemographic characteristics. These insights demonstrate the need for a clear definition of “service equity” to inform more equitable risk communication strategies and targeted improvements in NWS P&S. By integrating equity principles into NWS P&S, agencies can strengthen resilience in HUSVCs and ensure that critical weather information reaches those most at risk.

Keywords

extreme weather events, historically underserved and socially vulnerable communities (HUSVCs), National Weather Service, perception of equity, risk communication, service equity

Publication Date

7-15-2025

Publication Title

Sustainable Cities and Society

Publisher

Elsevier

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106624