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For the public, receiving tornado-related threat information and environmental and social cues is essential for seeking protective action during a tornado event. However, among Latinx residents, language barriers, cultural differences, and trust in public officials may inhibit the effectiveness of hazard warning communication, and place this population at risk for life-threatening situations during tornado-hazard events. Latinx populations (immigrant and native-born) are one of the fastest-growing minority populations in the Southeast, but few studies have examined how various factors interact to increase their vulnerability to harm during tornadoes. This study investigated tornado warning awareness, information sources, and barriers to protective actions among Latinx adults in the Southeast, U.S.
Methods
Latinx adults age 18 and older living in the Southeast (AL, FL, GA, KY, MD, MS, NC, SC TN, VA, LA, and WV) who speak English or Spanish were recruited to complete a survey by telephone or Internet, and a total of 820 completed the survey. Responses were weighted to be representative of the region’s population based on Census data. Of these completed surveys, 820 were collected online and 8 by phone, and 625 were collected in English, and 195 in Spanish. All data analyses were conducted on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28. Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (WMW) tests were used to examine awareness of the meaning of a tornado warning, preparedness, sources of severe weather information, and barriers that affect seeking protection among different demographic categories that included citizenship (U.S. citizen or non-U.S. citizen), survey language (English or Spanish), and place of birth (born in the U.S. or not born in the U.S.)
Results
Results found English language proficiency, nativity, and immigration status impacted how Hispanic/Latinx populations receive, understand, and act upon severe weather information in the Southeast region. We observed significant differences in the mean ranks between Spanish and English speakers in terms of identified barriers. Specifically, Spanish speakers identified a lack of information in Spanish (p = .019), a lack of knowledge on what to do (p = .041), and a lack of a safe place to shelter (p = .011) at a greater rate in comparison to English speakers. In addition, when analyzing the data by U.S. citizenship status, non-U.S. citizens had significant differences in the rankings of a lack of knowledge on what to do (p = .032), and a lack of a safe place to shelter (p = .006) as identified barriers in comparison to U.S. citizens.
Conclusion
Examining multiple factors that may place Latinx populations at increased risk for harm during tornado hazards is important for identifying community-based practices that can enhance warning communication and protective responses. This study found various intra-ethnic disparities encountered by Latinx populations related to tornado-warning understanding, preparedness, and barriers to seeking protection based on respondents’ citizenship, birth origin, and Spanish-speaking language. These findings emphasize the need for emergency systems to incorporate multilingual and multicultural perspectives to create a more inclusive and equitable weather-ready nation and to utilize community-based platforms to disseminate accurate and timely information.