We like to highlight good messages and this Evacuation Order for flooding hits most of the marks.
Issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, where they have had a lot of practice alerting due to wildfires, this message follows the structure, that is, the ORDER of contents, that is recommended by decades of social science research and found in The Warning Lexicon.
It also makes use of key VISUAL CUES to draw the reader's attention to words that stand out - EVACUATION ORDER --- LEAVE NOW.
And importantly, it includes the key CONTENTS that are necessary for reducing delay in imminent threat events. Let's take a look.
The SOURCE is clearly indicated at the start of the message. This indicates that the message is an official communication from the county with the authority to issue a message.
The HAZARD TYPE is included in the second sentence: rising floodwaters. And the impact is explained - roads may be impassable, flooding can be a threat to live.
The LOCATION is clearly indicated: properties along the lower Russian River from Healdsburg and Jenner. It also specifies which properties; those that are below the 36 ft flood level. This does suggest that people need know if they are within that flood level, but they are also provided a link to an evacuation map that they can check.
The PROTECTIVE ACTION is clearly articulated using capital letters LEAVE NOW, followed by "do not delay."
A specific action time is not included, but "NOW" expresses urgency and clearly states that if you've gotten the message - it is time to go.
Some might wonder "why isn't EVACUATION ORDER considered the hazard statement?" This is the language that is required by the state of California and is used by law enforcement to mobilize people. It is closer to the idea of protective action guidance than the name of the hazard type, and it is likely to help people to take the message more seriously. But a message that is absent that additional explainer about "leave now" and the name of the hazard "rising floodwaters" would require the receiver to know what that language means and why it is being issued. Sure - people might know that it means "you're ordered to evacuate" but our research has found that including those other details really does help people to understand what is happening as they make decisions to act.
We also want to highlight some information that was found on the county webpage because we found it to be helpful and might be a useful product for other communities that prepare for flooding. The font is pretty small, but if you look closely, you can see that the county provided information about the flood forecast in plain language, stating when the river will crest and where, naming specific streets and where they sit relative to flood levels.
As per usual, we found this excellent flood message example on warn.pbs.org alongside some others that were sent for the same event. They definitely vary in quality, suggesting that there might be different people sitting at the alerting dashboard with differing levels of experience. If you're interested in becoming proficient at writing effective messages, be sure to get your copy of The Warning Lexicon. You can also log into atp.aws.fema.gov to access the Message Design Dashboard that follows the workflow and contents found in the Warning Lexicon.
If your organization is developing flood messages, be sure to take a look at these resources available to help you and your organization to write effective messages in a pinch. Bookmark and download The Warning Lexicon - it's free and offers step-by-step instructions on how to write a better warning messages for 48 hazards.
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