Hazardous Weather Communication En Español: Challenges, Current Resources, and Future Practices

Abstract

According to recent Census data, the Hispanic or Latino population represents nearly 1 in 5 Americans today, where 71.1% of these individuals speak Spanish at home. Despite increased efforts among the weather enterprise, establishing effective risk communication strategies for Spanish-speaking populations has been an uphill battle. No frameworks exist for translating weather information into the Spanish language, nor are there collective solutions that address this problem within the weather world. The objective of this article is threefold. First, the current translation issue in Spanish is highlighted. Through research conducted at the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, situations are revealed where regional varieties of Spanish contributed to inconsistent risk messaging across the bilingual weather community. Second, existing resources are featured so that interested readers are aware of ongoing efforts to translate weather information into Spanish. Organizations within the weather service, like the NWS Multimedia Assistance in Spanish Team and the NWS Spanish Outreach Team, are highlighted for their pioneer work on Spanish weather communication. Last, a framework for translation standardization in the atmospheric sciences is introduced, along with future initiatives that are being sought by NWS and AMS to enhance Spanish hazardous weather communication.

Systemic Vulnerabilities in Hispanic and Latinx Immigrant Communities Led to the Reliance on an Informal Warning System in the December 10–11, 2021 Tornado Outbreak

“…Especially in indigenous immigrant communities, reading comprehension was also a barrier to receiving important information and not having reliable television networks in their language prevented them from staying updated during the most critical moments of the outbreak. These findings support previous research that language inequities serve as barriers to receiving life-saving information (Aguirre 1988) and that 22 Trujillo-Falcón, August 31, 2022 complicated jargon in English provides increased difficulties to delivering clear, effective messages in Spanish (Abukhalaf and von Meding 2021;Trujillo-Falcón et al 2021).…”

“…Overall, the overall foreign-born population has increased by 21% in Arkansas, 34% in Kentucky, 18% in Missouri, and 27% in Tennessee in the last decade. Unless cultural and language disparities in hazard communication are addressed, underserved communities will continue to be disproportionately affected by disasters (Trujillo-Falcón et al 2021).…”

Building Bridges: On Effective Weather Communication to, and with, Vulnerable Populations

“…The NWS has begun to actively address many different challenges. In addition to the efforts we've discussed, homes and communities for the elderly are frequently certified as StormReady™; NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts are often provided in Spanish; and NWS offices in regions with concentrations of Spanish-speaking individuals issue forecasts in Spanish as well as in English (Trujillo-Falcón et al, 2020). SKYWARN® storm spotter training sessions that include sign language and/or live English captioning for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing are becoming more frequent, and a template is available to produce autism-friendly programs (interested readers can reach out to us for further information).…”

Improving adaptation to wildfire smoke and extreme heat in frontline communities: evidence from a community-engaged pilot study in the San Francisco Bay Area

“…Frontline communities are more exposed (Cardona et al 2012 IPCC) due to a legacy of racism (Tessum et al 2021), lower income (Wing et al 2022), less access to high-quality healthcare (Lang et al 2016), location (Rappold et al 2017), and language barriers (Méndez et al 2020). Reducing illness, suffering, and early mortality, especially in frontline communities (Trujillo-Falcón et al 2021), will require deliberate intervention to make protective actions more accessible and widespread, advancing climate equity and resilience (Fitzgerald 2022).…”