By Don Reeder

Our neighboring state of Iowa is no stranger to the presence of tornadic funnel clouds that result in devastating storms. Nevertheless, several cities there were shocked to see tornadoes touch down in January, a 2023 occurrence that last happened nearly 60 years ago.

Here in Minnesota, we’re wrapping up a winter season that brought record-challenging snowfalls and wreaked havoc on transportation and the delivery of city services. Emergency snow plowing, closing of streets and highways, and slow emergency vehicle response times were common.

While the Midwest sometimes faces its own unique weather challenges, climate volatility with an acute effect on weather is on the rise in all regions of the country. City governments, along with state and federal partners, are faced with unpredictable conditions requiring a new level of preparedness.

Effective communication at the city level is a critical part of that preparedness. Residents expect the city to inform them before a severe weather event occurs, and to respond appropriately during and after the event.

Assess city communication readiness

Severe Storm Awareness Week occurs every April in Minnesota — a perfect opportunity for cities to assess their communication capacities for occasions when volatile weather results in tornadoes, flash flooding, blizzards, or other natural calamities. While organizations like the National Weather Service and National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration provide essential information resources, they are often not specific in communicating how individual communities might be affected in a weather emergency. That’s why city communication readiness is critical.

In many cities, weather alert systems are typically the most effective way to reach residents quickly. Those systems can take the form of email and text alerts, wireless audio alerts, strategically placed warning sirens, and others. It’s likely that warnings will also be broadcast on local television and radio stations. While these are necessary and potentially lifesaving alert options, it’s recommended that cities also stand ready to activate other platforms — Facebook, Twitter, and websites, for example — that residents might rely on for news from the city.

The City of Springfield (population 2,037), for example, has more than 660 subscribers to city-wide community alerts. In the event of a weather emergency, the city deploys messaging from several sources. Alerts are sent simultaneously via email, mobile app, and text message, as well as through city-managed social media posts.

Educate residents about personal preparedness

Cities also have an obligation to help their residents cope with the effects of severe weather during times when no immediate threat exists. As a proactive step, the city should routinely use occasions like Severe Storm Awareness Week as opportunities to remind residents about the usefulness of personal preparedness, like having immediate access to a battery-powered radio, generator, and a cell phone, for example. Your city should also encourage residents to become familiar with resources like Ready.gov.

Communicate weather emergency details

When an event occurs, cities should share the following:

• Potential threats to physical health or safety.
• Interruptions to critical services (water, power, heat).
• Transportation/travel conditions and any parking restrictions within a community.
• Access to essential staples (food, prescription medicines, infant supplies, gasoline).
• Stay-in-place recommendations or orders.
• Availability of any emergency shelters in the city to accommodate those displaced.

Depending on the type, length, and severity of the weather emergency, frequent updates should be a part of your communication strategy.

Also, be aware that extremely volatile weather often calls for creative service delivery. In addition to your outward facing messaging, keeping city staff and departments in the loop about current conditions is essential. During a brutal snowstorm, the City of Montgomery, for example, arranged for a city snowplow to drive in front of an ambulance transporting a patient and escort the ambulance to a local hospital.

When the event has passed, any remaining disruption requires continued communication efforts. Residents need to be frequently updated about lingering conditions that could affect normal functions.

In addition to frequently updating your existing platforms with recovery information, you might want to consider adding a phone number, email address, and/or text option specifically dedicated toward fielding resident questions. Make sure, of course, that you have resources to respond to those queries.

From beginning to end, your city’s overall level of communication preparedness and response can make a big difference in how successfully you preserve the health and safety of your community’s residents when a weather emergency happens. MC

Don Reeder is public affairs coordinator with the League of Minnesota Cities. Contact: [email protected] or (651) 215-4031.