Middletown, USA : perceptions of the severe storm threat : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

This study examines public perceptions of the severe thunderstorm threat and knowledge regarding preparedness for severe convective storms within the rural American Midwest. The study instrument is a survey designed to assess respondents' knowledge regarding severe thunderstorms through the use of both Likert scale and binary response questions. Results of this research may be an important consideration when constructing Severe Thunderstorm and/or Tornado Warning messages, as well as in planning public education endeavors regarding severe weather. Potential users of this information include the National Weather Service, broadcast media, and emergency management personnel.The locational setting for this study is Muncie, Indiana and surrounding rural areas of Delaware County. Reasons for this are based on the identification of Muncie as "Middletown U.S.A." by social scientists searching for a single city representative of the entire American Midwest region. As a result, the information gained from this research may be valid for many rural communities within the Midwestern United States.Results of the survey suggest that: 1) residents of Muncie believe flash flooding presents the least of all severe weather threats despite statistics that suggest the opposite; 2) severe straight-line winds are much less a threat than tornadoes, even though they are much more common; 3) an overpass provides the best shelter when out on the road, which has been shown not to be the case; and 4) that people should not attempt to drive away from a storm as it approached. Stratification of survey results suggest some of these perceptions are dependent upon respondents' age, gender, and residential location (city versus rural environment).