(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Radford, Laura Michelle; Senkbeil, Jason Carl; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Hurricane warning communication has become a recent topic of debate among academics, emergency managers, and meteorologists. The current graphic used to portray vital information to people in the path of a hurricane is the "Cone of Uncertainty," which is produced by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and modified by local TV stations. Evidence suggests this graphic creates too much ambiguity, which can lead the public to incorrectly interpret its meaning. In order to achieve warning clarity, we must understand the many possible ways people are obtaining information from this graphic. In this research, ArcGis 9.3 and PowerPoint were used to create alternative hurricane-warning graphics. Using these alternative graphics, citizens in Jacksonville, FL and Pensacola, FL were surveyed to ascertain which graphics citizens preferred. Results indicate that the majority of the participants prefer an alternative warning graphic. Furthermore, several additional warning graphics are created based on field results comments, and suggestions.