Risk Communication on Social Media to Spanish-Speaking Populations

Heat is the leading cause of weather related fatalities in the United States. It is important that agencies and organizations understand heat and other extreme weather related risks, especially as climate change exacerbates the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. This research focused on communication strategies used by the National Weather Service, via official twitter feeds, from areas with high Hispanic populations. It can be concluded that many forecasting offices do not currently meet the communication needs of Spanish-Speaking populations and that critical alerts about life threatening risks should be made more frequently in Spanish.

热浪是美国与天气相关的死亡的主要原因。鉴于气候变化加剧了极端天气事件的频率和严重性，对于机构和组织而言，理解热浪及其他极端天气相关风险至关重要。本研究聚焦于国家气象服务通过官方推特账号在具有高拉美裔人口地区的沟通策略。研究结果表明，许多预报机构尚未满足西班牙语使用人群的沟通需求，且关于生命威胁风险的紧急警报应以西班牙语更为频繁地发布。