Description of the Interview Process for the Joplin, MO Tornado Public Warnings and Response Interviews for Emergency PRA Approval
Erica Kuligowski
EL/NIST
Contact information:
301-975-2309
Before the interview begins, the interviewer will explain the purpose of the interview to the respondent. The interviewer will also distribute a brief Interview Information Sheet (Attachment 1) that provides information about the investigative study and the interviewer, should the respondent have questions about the purpose of the interview and who will have access to the information. The form will also reinforce that their participation in this investigative study is completely voluntary.
Interview Process #1:
NIST investigators, authorized contractors acting on behalf of NIST, or other authorized non-NIST investigation team members will conduct interviews with individuals who had first-hand experiences with the May 22nd Joplin, MO tornado. All interviews will be tape recorded in order to allow for full transcription. The interview will include two phases. The interviewing method assists interviewees in retrieving more comprehensive and accurate memories of incidents and sharing important details with the interviewer. The first phase consists of an overview provided by the respondent of their experiences in the disaster. The respondent will be asked to describe their experiences from the time when they first became aware that something was wrong until the moment when they responded to the disaster, including evacuating a building or sheltering in place, depending on the specifics of the disaster. They will be free to speak about their experiences (what they saw, what they did, what they were thinking) until they are finished.
The second phase is unstructured in that it will not consist of specific questions that the interviewer asks the respondent, but rather, the interviewer will ask follow-up or clarification questions about important topics mentioned by the respondent during the first phase. If necessary, the interviewer may ask certain probing questions regarding a topic to obtain more in-depth information about that topic. As examples, probing questions can ask for more in-depth information regarding the characteristics of the disaster, experiences of the individuals, any limitations to taking action (including mobility impairments or injuries), information received or sought out by the respondent, previous training or preparations of the respondent, and any disaster-related responsibilities held by the respondent or others discussed by the respondent.
A list of possible probing questions is included here below. All questions are open-ended in that there are no response options for the interviewers to check. These probing questions are meant to elicit additional information during the face-to-face or telephone interviews.
How did you know that something was going on?
Where were you?
Who was with you?
Did you receive any information from the event?
What was it?
When did you know that something odd/strange/unusual was going on?
How did you find that out?
How did you know?
What did you think was going on?
Why?
What did you do next [recurring question]?
Where did you go?
What should you do if you hear about a tornado heading your way?
What do you think are the appropriate actions to take in a tornado?
What did you think are the appropriate actions to take in a tornado (before Joplin was hit)?
What are you supposed to do in a tornado?
Did you feel at risk (or in trouble, worried, anxious, scared, etc.) at any point in time during the tornado?
When?
Why?
What, if any, injuries did you receive from the event? Please describe your experiences with injuries in more detail.
What, if any, mobility impairments did you have before the event took place? Please describe your experiences with disabilities in more detail.
Have you ever been in a tornado before?
Can you tell me more about that?
Have you ever received ______ [insert alert or communication channel here]?
When was that?
What did you think was going on?
What happened?
What did you do?
Where did you go?
When was the last time (before 5/22) that you heard the siren/alert/communication system?
What happened then?
What are your experiences or familiarity with any pre-disaster shelters or safe rooms to go to for safety? Please describe your experiences with shelters or safe rooms in more detail.
Where is the best place to go in a tornado disaster?
Please describe your experiences in developing pre-disaster/pre-tornado household or family plans?
Interview Process #2:
NIST investigators, authorized contractors acting on behalf of NIST, or other authorized non-NIST investigation team members may also conduct interviews with family members and friends of the 158 Joplin, MO tornado victims. Similar to the interview process described above, the first phase consists of an overview provided by the respondent of their experiences or the experiences of the deceased in the disaster. The respondent will be asked to describe their experiences with the victim from the time when they first became aware that something was wrong until the moment when the victim (as well as the interviewee, in some cases) responded to the disaster, including evacuating a building or sheltering in place. They will be free to speak about their experiences with the victim (what they saw, what they saw the victim do, what they heard the victim do or say, what they were thinking at the time) until they are finished.
The second phase is unstructured in that it will not consist of specific questions that the interviewer asks the respondent, but rather, the interviewer will ask follow-up or clarification questions about important topics mentioned by the respondent during first phase. If necessary, the interviewer may ask certain probing questions regarding a topic to obtain more in-depth information about that topic. As examples, probing questions can ask for more in-depth information regarding the characteristics of the disaster, experiences of the individuals, any limitations to taking action (including mobility impairments or injuries), information received or sought out by the respondent or the victim, and any disaster-related responsibilities held by the respondent or others discussed by the respondent.
A list of possible probing questions is included here below. All questions are open-ended in that there are no response options for the interviewers to check. These probing questions are meant to elicit additional information during the face-to-face or telephone interviews.
How did [insert victim’s name here] know something was going on?
Where was he/she at this point in time?
Where were you at this point in time?
Who was with him/her at the time?
Did you receive any information from the [insert victim’s name here]?
What did he/she say to you?
What was [insert victim’s name here] doing when you were first alerted to the incident?
What did [insert victim’s name here] think was going on (if he/she told you)?
What did [insert victim’s name here] do next (recurring question)?
Where did he/she go?
What happened to [insert victim’s name here]?
Where was he/she found after the tornado struck?
Do you know how they died?
Would you be able and willing to talk to me about what happened?
What was [insert victim’s name here] prior experiences with tornados, if any?
Note 1: Team members will collect contact information for each respondent, if the respondent is willing to share the information. Contact information may include the respondent’s name, mailing address, email address, and/or telephone number(s) (including cell phone numbers) as well as contact information for individuals with whom the respondent is staying, if applicable.
Note 2: If the family or friend of the deceased is also a tornado survivor and experienced effects from the tornado, they will also be asked to tell their story per Interview Process #1.
“NOTE: This interview contains collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The estimated response time for this questionnaire is 30 minutes. The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn., XXXXXXX, EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER. The OMB Control No. is 0693-XXXX, which expires on DATE.”
Disaster and Failure Investigative Study of the May 22, 2001 Joplin, MO Tornado
Engineering Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
INTERVIEW INFORMATION SHEET
You are being asked to participate in an investigative study conducted by the Disaster and Failure Studies Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is performing an investigative study of the May 22, 2001 Joplin, MO tornado and during this interview, you will be asked to describe your experiences before and during the emergency event. We are primarily interested in what you or other individuals saw, heard, felt and did in response to the tornado on the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011. This is an investigative study that is intended to provide benefits to the nation in the form of improved life safety in the face of future tornados.
If you agree to take part in this investigative study, the interview will be tape-recorded so that we can represent your experiences as accurately as possible. Please check one of the following:
I agree ___ do not agree ___ to be audio taped.
(If you do not wish to be audio taped, the Investigator will use hand-written notes only).
Your participation in this investigative study is voluntary and without compensation. Also, you may refuse to answer any specific question raised during the interview. All the records of your interview will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a). Any reports that are produced based on information provided in interviews will not release any personally identifiable information, for example, your name, phone number, and social security number.
I have read this interview information sheet or it was read to me. I know that participating in this investigative study is voluntary. I choose to participate in this investigative study. I have received, on the date signed, a copy of this document comprised of 1 page.
Name of participant (printed): __________________________________________
Signature _______________________________ Date__________________
Please contact Erica Kuligowski if you have any further questions about this investigative study:
Erica
Kuligowski
Fire Protection Engineer, Sociologist
Fire
Research Division/Engineering Laboratory
National Institute of
Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg,
Maryland 20899-8664
Phone: 301-975-2309
E-mail: erica.kuligowski@nist.gov
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Barb Uglik |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-31 |