Nov 4, 2026 · 30 min
Better warnings could make communities more climate resilient
How people respond to extreme weather risks, with Brett Gelino, PhD, and Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, PhD
As extreme weather becomes more frequent, public safety depends not only on accurate forecasts but on messages people understand and act on.
- 1People may ignore warnings when experience is limited, threats feel uncertain, or repeated alerts create fatigue.
- 2Effective alerts pair clear risks with specific actions, credible evidence, and communication tailored to different communities.
- 3Recovery improves when researchers, officials, responders, and residents turn social ties and rebuilding into resilience strategies.
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The brief
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi and Brett Gelino define climate resilience as the ability to absorb, adapt to, and recover from changing hazards, then examine why warnings often fail.
Gelino’s tornado research shows that limited experience and uncertainty can blunt responses, while repeated or inaccurate alerts may produce habituation and warning fatigue.
The guests argue that effective warnings should explain the risk, recommend concrete actions, and show credible evidence that others are responding—without using fear that drives disengagement.
Improving emergency communication requires cooperation among researchers, officials, responders, and communities, with strategies adapted for different levels of technology access and vulnerability.
Wong-Parodi’s Climate Ready Rebuilding project treats recovery as a chance to improve resilience, while Gelino studies how social connectedness and place attachment shape who stays and recovers.
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