Expanding Audiences, Removing Barriers, Promoting Action: Addressing the diverse needs of audiences for flood forecast information

This data includes focus group scenarios and questions, survey instruments, and focus group transcripts and survey data related to the “Expanding Audiences, Removing Barriers, Promoting Action: Addressing the diverse needs of audiences for flood forecast information” project. This project was funded by a $266,045 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (NA22OAR4590170) to advance social science research work around flood forecast products. The grant supported a three-year (09-01-2022 to 08-31-2025) mixed-methods social science research study. This study centered on identifying the information needs, gaps, barriers and opportunities that exist for improving communication of flood forecasts for a range of vulnerable audiences to broaden understanding of the many users that exist for NWS flood forecast products. The objectives included: 1) understanding the range of flood information needs and concerns; 2) elicitation of how various audiences prefer to receive information; and 3) gathering feedback on the extent to which existing flood forecast products foster decision-making. The following research questions were investigated: ● What forecast products do different communities already rely upon? ● What information gaps remain? ● What existing NWS products could fill those information gaps? ● What are the barriers to using existing flash flood and riverine flood information? ● What improvements to product design or delivery could remove those barriers? Methods included gathering community data to assess vulnerabilities, developing partnerships with local community-based organizations (CBOs) to more effectively reach vulnerable communities, as well as interviews with forecasters, and focus groups and surveys with residential populations in selected study areas. These areas included Canetuck, NC; Lumberton, NC; Baltimore, MD; Grand Forks, ND; Columbus, NE; and Wilkes-Barre, PA. In each of these locations we held two rounds of in-person focus groups. We worked with NWS River Forecast Centers (RFCs), the Weather Prediction Center (WPC), and Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) to create location-specific scenarios for the focus groups that included briefing packages, hydrographs, probabilistic and other flood forecast tools for both riverine and flash flood risk. During each focus group session, participants completed a pre-session survey about flood experience, challenges, and demographic information. Then participants were led through a flood-related scenario via a presentation showcasing forecast information and products commonly used within the local WFO – i.e., as part of briefing packages or weekly partner emails. The facilitator asked questions about the types of decisions the users make and what information they would need to support their decision-making processes. Following the focus group discussion, participants completed a post-session survey asking for detailed feedback on the products. The research team, including Rachel Hogan Carr, Dr. Kathryn Semmens, Keri Maxfield, and Patrick Painter (all of Nurture Nature Center) and Dr. Burrell Montz (emeritus from East Carolina University), have compiled and shared recommendations to NOAA/WPC about the best ways to use and improve upon these products to communicate flood risk information. The data provided here include the focus group scenarios and questions, the pre and post session survey questions (pre-session surveys were the same for all locations but post-session surveys varied due to the use of different scenarios/products), survey responses and focus group transcripts (anonymized).