Authors: Lakelyn E. Taylor, Anne Jefferson, Elizabeth Doran, Sarah Noyes – University of Vermont; Jill Brown, Schuyler DeBree, Bryan Luukinen – Research Triangle Institute
Title: Analyzing Flood Warning Communication in Local Communities Using the IDEA Model
Abstract: As flood events increase across the United States, federal agencies such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are aiming to create and disseminate understandable and trustworthy flood inundation maps (FIMs) and flood information messages. However, it is not clear how local audiences receive these messages. Therefore, this research uses social scientific methods alongside the IDEA Model framework to investigate how messages move through a community. The primary goal of this study is to answer the following research questions: How do local stakeholders receive and share flood information? How are current information sharing pathways applicable to flood systems now and in the future?
The IDEA Model is a strategic instructional communication framework designed to evaluate crisis message distribution and design. The model includes four components: Internalization (I), Distribution (D), Explanation (E), and Action (A). The IDEA Model provides a framework to explore how flood warning information is distributed to and through community organizations. This project is currently conducting focus groups in six different communities that were comprised of local authorities (e.g., city communications managers, fire chiefs, new channels), health and human service organizations (e.g., universities, homeless shelters, hospitals), and community stakeholder organizations (e.g., faith-based organizations, large-scale employers, water conservation groups). The preliminary findings from the focus groups that have been completed so far are beginning to reveal overarching patterns which will inform practical recommendations for NOAA’s flood warning communication strategies. These findings also contributed to the construction of a nationwide survey meant to uncover such patterns more broadly.