Information Sources and Government Trust Regarding Evacuation Decisions for Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Effective communication is critical to successfully protect the public and maintain trust in local institutions. Official sources have commonly failed to capitalize on the rise of social media, leading to unofficial sources filling in the gaps on sites such as X to provide weather-related information to the public. It is important to explore where people get their information and how it shapes their sentiments because of its revealing nature for implications on public trust and safety. This study explores the relationship between information sources and trust in government evacuation decisions during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. To do this, a statewide survey (n=2185) was conducted to understand populaces’ responses to weather risk and information. Quantitative data was then analyzed in SPSS, while open-ended responses were coded using NVivo to identify themes and sentiments. Findings from a chi-square test indicate an association between official sources and trust in government. In addition, general negative themes around evacuation orders and dissent surrounding local officials were discovered in the open-ended responses. The findings indicate that there need to be improvements in official messaging transparency and real-time messaging so that the public will continue to rely on official sources, especially on newer social media platforms.

The Weather Climate and Society REU program invited 10 students from across the US to conduct research projects related to disaster-vulnerable communities in Florida and other extreme weather-affected areas. These projects were interdisciplinary, integrating social science and physical science aspects of severe weather, climate, and related disasters through field work, interviews, and/or spatial analysis of secondary data in GIS. The PI of this REU is Dr. Jennifer Collins.