When Weather Messaging Falls on Deaf Ears Literally. Trevor Boucher Meteorologist National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio, TX

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1 When Weather Messaging Falls on Deaf Ears Literally. Trevor Boucher Meteorologist National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio, TX

2 ~48 The million hearing Americans loss suffer population from a significant is pretty hearing small loss

3 English ASL is is often just the a second English language to in the sign fully form Deaf

4 If captioning Not every is Deaf provided, person ASL uses is English not needed

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7 Now, let s take a look at some of our messaging...

8 When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors Literal translation into ASL: Thunder Yell/Loud, Building Inside Go

9 So what are we doing about these issues?

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11 More videos available at weather.gov/wrn/dhh-safety

12 Communication Accessibility A report from the National Council on Disability reported in the Daily Republic Newspaper on Oct 13, 2014 Disaster Preparedness must include people with disabilities Carole Lazorisak, NJ resident who is deaf during Hurricane Sandy: As the storm approached she did not receive the evacuation warnings and instructions that were issued only verbally. The storm ripped her home off of its foundation and filled it with 5 feet of storm surge. After finding her way to a shelter, she still felt isolated because no arrangements had been made for communicating with deaf people.

13 What is a DDW? A Different, Different World (DDW) Is a fictional community administered by people who are deaf, including public officials & the media As a result, hearing people are the minority & speech communication is of little use Overall, DDW training is comprised of a series of hands-on exercises which simulate some of the challenges faced by people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. This exercise is just one example.

14 Instructions Please quietly observe only if: You have participated in this exercise before! You are familiar with ASL! 1) Choose a number from 1 to 150 (20 to 100 for small groups). 2) Write down your number, so you don t forget! 3) Watch the video & try to interpret the message. 4) Following the video determine the action you will take from the provided list.

15 Important Broadcast from WWARN! David Shultz, Manager NC Div. of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Wilmington Regional Center

16 What action are you taking? 5) From the list below, write down the letter to the action that is most appropriate based off the WWARN news report A) A tornado warning has been issued for the Oklahoma City, OK area. Stay away from doors and windows. Shelter in a basement or your interior safe room on the lowest floor immediately! B) A fast moving wildfire is approaching the Barefoot Landing area. Evacuate by vehicle immediately - take Grissom Parkway & go to North Myrtle Beach for safety now! Call for details once you have evacuated safely. C) Don t go outside. It s not safe given the proximity of a hazardous materials spill. This incident will impact the Fairmont, NC area through 6 PM. Shelter in place. If fumes enter your home stay low to the floor for safety. For further details call the American Red Cross incident line at D) Hurricane Zephyr will bring devastating impacts to Jacksonville, NC & surrounding areas tomorrow. Preparations must be rushed to completion today. Drive to the nearest shelter if ordered to evacuate. Storm surge, strong winds, tornadoes, and flooding rainfall impacts will peak tomorrow. This is a dangerous situation. E) Icy roads will create treacherous driving conditions. Stay off roadways! Travel is highly discourage through tonight as the winter storm passes by the area. Minnesota Highway Patrol has setup a special phone line if you see travelers stranded, or if you become stranded. F) Emergency Management officials strongly advise to avoid flooded roadways. If flooding is encountered turn around - don t drown. This is a dangerous situation. Heavy rains from the storm have already been responsible for the deaths of 19 people across South Carolina. Drive/head to higher ground and away from flooding if encountered.

17 Which Action Did You Choose?

18 What does the number you chose mean? 6) The number you chose represents the house you are at on the following map.

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20 The Interpreted WWARN Report This is David Schultz reporter for WWARN with a very important message for residents in or near Oklahoma City and surrounding areas. People south of the city, especially near the town of Moore, need to take shelter now. A very large tornado has been spotted by Skywarn Spotters and emergency response personnel approximately 5 miles outside of the Moore city limits. In fact, the National Weather Service has just issued a new warning 1 minute ago for the Moore area and states that the storm will move into the Moore city limits within 15 minutes. Again this is a very dangerous situation. If you attempt to drive away from the storm you will add to the congestion on the roadway and may become stuck in a traffic jam as the tornado approaches. Move to an underground shelter if possible, or go to a safe room in your house now. Stay away from doors and windows. Stay tuned to our broadcast for the latest updates on this potentially catastrophic weather situation. Take action now!

21 What happened to you? 7) What action did you choose, & what does it all mean? If you chose A) Seek shelter in a basement or in an interior room on the lowest floor, then you survived the scenario regardless of the tornado s path. If you picked any of the other options, and on the following map your house is highlighted red, then you died in the tornado. If your house was highlighted orange, then you were seriously injured by the tornado unless you chose A. If you chose to evacuate, you died. If your house was highlighted yellow or green, then you survived as the impact from the tornado was minimal or non-existent, if you didn t evacuate. In other words, you were very lucky if you did not choose A. If you chose to evacuate, you either died or were seriously injured.

22 Public Schools Admin Building

23 April 29, 2013 Post Oak. SE 5 th St. SE 6 th St. SE 7 th St. SE 8 th St.

24 May 22, 2013 (tornado occurred May 20 th Moore, OK) Post Oak. SE 5 th St. SE 6 th St. SE 7 th St. SE 8 th St.

25 Key Points from the DDW Exercise A misunderstood message, or one that is not received, is a failed message. Need to explore multiple means of communications, to ensure that our one unified message can reach people in different ways. As hearing people, we can take for granted the ability to access communications. Deaf people often face challenges in getting accurate information in a timely manner, therefore it is important to open our perspective to better enhance communication accessibility for all. To better build resiliency and evolve as a Weather-Ready Nation our efforts must encompass everyone in the community, and our partnerships must cross traditional lines to be successful.

26 Questions?