New York, NY, May 15, 2014 - Since being announced in mid-January, the 10 research projects under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s $1.4M "Coastal Storm Awareness Program" (CSAP) have been garnering attention throughout the later winter months from a number of the universities with funded investigators (see the related news item with mentions from The Cornell Chronicle, Syracuse's Post Standard, among others; also, the press release announcing the projects).

On May 13th, investigators and representatives from the National Weather Service, among other agencies, came together at the City University of New York's Graduate Center in midtown Manhattan for the first in a series of day-long discussions on CSAP (several others will follow in the coming year or two). This multi-year, $1.4M partnership effort between NOAA and Sea Grant programs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is intended to raise awareness of how severe weather is communicated to and within communities.

Some questions brought up by the investigators: Can we improve the decision-making, evacuation and evaluation processes related to severe storm warnings? What might we learn from analysis of the messaging that is delivered to residents during these events - are we using the right methods (e.g., text alerts, social media, TV and radio announcements) and are these messages being translated, when needed, for all to receive? How can we best assist coastal storm managers to strengthen public communication avenues and related decision-making?

Answers to these and other questions will come as progress is made by the researchers on surveying their targeted audiences and then analyzing that data. In the meantime, more information is available on this social science program at ...

• ESF social scientists improving storm-warning communications - Syracuse Post Standard (February 2014) More>
  Syracuse's Post Standard, the Cornell Chronicle, and a string of newspapers, including New York's Newsday, are just some of the media outlets giving attention to NOAA)'s CSAP.
  
  
• Press Release: NOAA & Sea Grant's Projects for $1.4M Coastal Storm Awareness Program (January 2014) More>
  Sea Grant programs in NJ, NY and CT award $1.4M in funds for 10 projects to improve hazard warnings for tri-state residents.

... and there's more on the Coastal Storm Awareness Program at www.nyseagrant.org/csap.