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.