The Hazard Consequence Prediction System: A Participatory Action Research Approach to Enhance Emergency Management

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Disaster Management

Background:

• Emergency managers require localized data for major storm events like hurricanes and nor'easters.
• Current tools lack actionable insights into specific local impacts such as emergency vehicle access and communication failures.
• Advanced storm models offer the necessary resolution for effective local-scale emergency management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology for gathering critical infrastructure managers' concerns regarding hurricanes and nor'easters.
• To demonstrate how these concerns can be integrated into numerical storm models for real-time emergency applications.
• To highlight the practical implications and future research directions for local-scale storm event management.

Main Methods:

• Employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach in Providence, Rhode Island.
• Collected data directly from critical infrastructure managers regarding storm-related concerns.
• Focused on hurricanes and nor'easters as case study events.

Main Results:

• Successfully captured specific local concerns of emergency managers related to major storm events.
• Developed a framework for integrating qualitative concerns into quantitative storm models.
• Demonstrated the potential for real-time risk assessment and communication during storm events.

Conclusions:

• Participatory Action Research is effective for tailoring storm models to local emergency management needs.
• Integrating local concerns into storm models enhances the utility of forecasts for practical decision-making.
• This approach offers a pathway for improved real-time response to severe weather events.