Feeling Safe Isn't Good Enough: The Psychology and Practice of Hurricane Preparedness

When residents say, "I feel safe, I'll be fine," they're not lying. They genuinely believe it. That belief is exactly what gets them in trouble.

Dr. Laura Myers, Sr. Research Scientist and Director of Resilience at the Center for Risk and Insurance Research at The University of Alabama, will break down the psychological, economic, and communication barriers that keep people from taking action before a storm and offer a practical framework for designing messages that motivate people to act.

You'll come away understanding why fear-based warnings often backfire, how the two-day attention window reshapes your communication timeline, and why reach must be engineered rather than assumed. From reframing "safety" as a plan rather than a place to building consistent messaging across the weather enterprise to ensuring equitable access for language and disability communities — this session connects behavioral research directly to operational decisions.

At the end of the webinar, you'll receive a prompt to help you craft messages based on behavioral science and Nextdoor Best Practices, along with an invitation to join "The Behavioral Comms Lab" community of practice here on the Resource Hub. 

Ideal for: Public Information Officers, Emergency Managers, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologists, VOAD partners, and anyone responsible for public protective action communication before and during hurricane events.