Flash Flood Service Assessment

OMB Approval No. 0648-0342 / Expires: 4/30/2015

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Flash Flood Survey Questions

There was a flash flood event that occurred in your area on the (morning, afternoon, evening) of (month) (date), (year). The National Weather Service is looking to receive feedback on the weather information you may have received during this event. We would appreciate it if you answered the following questions regarding that specific flash flood event. Feedback collected from this survey will help the NWS improve products and services with future events in your area.

The following questions have to deal with the information you may have received before the flash flood event and the actions you may have taken.

1. People rely on various sources of information when making a decision to prepare for hazardous weather events. Please indicate how the following sources influenced your decisions on how to prepare before this flash flood event occurred.

Source Type	No Influence At All	Very Little Influence	Some Influence	A Lot of Influence	I Have No Access
Local Television Broadcast (e.g., ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
National Television Broadcast (e.g., Weather Channel, CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
NOAA Weather Radio Broadcast	o	o	o	o	o
Commercial Radio Broadcast (e.g., AM, FM, HD, Satellite Radio, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
Print Media (e.g., local newspapers)	o	o	o	o	o
National Weather Service Website (i.e., Weather.gov)	o	o	o	o	o
Other Websites / Social Media (e.g., Weather.com, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) via cellphone	o	o	o	o	o
Siren / Community Alerting (e.g., sirens, Reverse 911, vehicle messaging signs, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
Word of Mouth from Friends/Family	o	o	o	o	o
Word of mouth from Government Officials (e.g., Mayor, Governor, President, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
Word of mouth from Emergency Management (e.g., police, fire department, emergency managers, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o
Word of mouth from Faith Leaders (e.g., Pastors, Priest Imam, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o

2. How far in advance were you made aware that a flash flood would be possible for your area?

• Less than an hour before

• Between 1 hour and 6 hours before

• Between 7 hours and 24 hours before

• Between 1 and 2 days before

• 3 or more days before

• I was not aware a flash flood would be possible for my area

3. Based on the information you were given, what did you feel the threat(s) from the flash flood would be? (Please select all that apply)

• Heavy rains

• Swift water moving through dry creeks or normally dry areas

• Rapid rise in streams, creeks and rivers

• Washed out roads

• Flooded roadways / closure of roads

• Other (please specify)

4. What, if any, special preparations did you take in the days and hours before the flash flood event? (Please select all that apply)

• Purchased extra water/food

• Filled prescription(s)

• Filled vehicle(s) with gas

• Got extra cash from the bank

• Purchased/borrowed a generator

• Increased communication with friends/relatives

• Allowed more time for travel

• Cancelled or adjusted scheduled plans, appointments, and/or activities

• Purchased/created/updated an emergency survival kit

• I did not take any special preparations

• Other (please specify)

The following questions pertain to the actions you took once the flash flood warning was issued for your area. If you feel you were unwarned, please skip to question #8.

5. Did you take any of the following actions when you received the flash flood warning?

Action	Yes	No	I Do Not Remember
Did you retreat to a safer location / higher ground?	o	o	o
Did you seek additional information via various media outlets (e.g., TV, Radio, Internet)?	o	o	o
Did you attempt to drive out of the flash flood threat area?	o	o	o
Did you attempt to figure out if your specific location was in the warning?	o	o	o
Did you secure your property (e.g., move car out of a low lying area)?	o	o	o
Did you continue previous activities?	o	o	o

6. Which of the following actions was the first action you took when you received the flash flood warning?

Action	My First Action
Retreated to a safer location / higher ground	o
Sought additional information via various media outlets (e.g., TV, Radio, Internet)	o
Tried to drive out of the flash flood threat area	o
Tried to figure out if my specific location was in the warning	o
Secured my property (e.g., move car out of a low lying area)	o
Continued previous activities	o
Other (Please state action)	o
I did nothing	o

7. If you retreated to a safer location / higher ground during the flash flood warning, please answer Part A. If you did not retreat to a safer location / higher ground during the flash flood warning, please answer Part B.

   1. What led to your decision to retreat to a safer location / higher ground during the flash flood warning? (Please choose the answer that best applies to your situation.)

• I typically retreat to a safer location / higher ground after receiving a flash flood warning issued for my area.

• Other information source(s) (e.g., TV, Radio, Internet, Friends/Family, etc.) confirmed that threatening weather was approaching my area

• Friends and family urged me to retreat to a safer location / higher ground

• I could see the threatening weather outside

• Previous experiences I had with flash flood led me to believe I could be in danger.

• Other (Please state why)

1. What led to your decision to not retreat to a safer location / higher ground during the flash flood warning? (Please choose the answer that best applies to your situation.)

• I typically do not take action immediately after receiving a flash flood warning issued for my area

• I did not believe I would be impacted by the flash flood (Please state why)

• I could not see threatening weather outside

• Previous experiences I had with flash floods led me to believe I was not in danger.

• I did not trust the accuracy of the warning

• Other (Please state why)

8. If you were driving or planning to drive, how did modify your driving behaviors due to the flash flood warning?

   1. I was not driving or planning to drive

   2. I was driving but decided not to modify my driving behavior

   3. I decided not to drive

   4. I changed my original driving route

   5. I was driving, saw a “Turn Around Don’t Drown” sign or other high water sign and decided to turn back

   6. I drove more carefully

   7. I drove to a safer location/higher ground

The following question pertains to the information you may have received during the flash flood warning and the actions that you may have taken.

9. People rely on various sources for information during hazardous weather events. Please indicate how the following sources influenced your decisions as this flash flood warning was ongoing.

Source Type	No Influence At All	Very Little Influence	Some Influence	A Lot of Influence
Local Television Broadcast (e.g., ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc.)	o	o	o	o
National Television Broadcast (e.g., Weather Channel, CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, etc.)	o	o	o	o
NOAA Weather Radio Broadcast	o	o	o	o
Commercial Radio Broadcast (e.g., AM, FM, HD, Satellite Radio, etc.)	o	o	o	o
Print Media (e.g., local newspapers)	o	o	o	o
Websites / Social Media (e.g., Weather.com, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)	o	o	o	o
National Weather Service Website (i.e., Weather.gov)	o	o	o	o
Word of Mouth from Friends/Family	o	o	o	o
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) via cellphone	o	o	o	o
Siren / Community Alerting (e.g., sirens, Reverse 911, vehicle messaging signs, etc.)	o	o	o	o
Government Officials (e.g., Mayor, Governor, President, etc.)	o	o	o	o
Emergency Management (e.g., police, fire department, emergency managers, etc.)	o	o	o	o
Faith Leaders (e.g., Pastors, Priest Imam, etc.)	o	o	o	o

The following question pertains to the information and services you received from the National Weather Service and whether you understood the information and services. For instance, if you visited a National Weather Service website (e.g., Weather.gov) or used a NOAA Weather Radio, then please answer the following questions. If you feel did not receive your information from the National Weather Service, please skip to question #11.

10. Please rate your level of satisfaction with the information and services you received from the National Weather Service during this particular flash flood.

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neither Dissatisfied nor Satisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied
Quality of the information or service received	o	o	o	o	o
Timeliness of the information or services received	o	o	o	o	o
Accuracy of information or services received	o	o	o	o	o
Format of the information or services received	o	o	o	o	o
Degree to which the information or services received helped you in decision making	o	o	o	o	o
Degree in which the information or services received explained the flash flood threat and expected impacts	o	o	o	o	o
Overall satisfaction with information or services received	o	o	o	o	o
Overall satisfaction compared with services/data obtained from other weather information industries (e.g., media, private weather companies, etc.)	o	o	o	o	o

11. In a few short words, please explain your understanding of a Flash flood Watch.

12. In a few short words, please explain your understanding of a Flash flood Warning.

13. Based on your understanding of the National Weather Service’s flash flood watch and flash flood warnings, how likely are you to take protective action?

Product	Not Likely At All	Somewhat Likely	Likely	Very Likely	Unsure
Flash flood Watch	o	o	o	o	o
Flash flood Warning	o	o	o	o	o

14. When the National Weather Service issues a flash flood watch or flash flood warning for your area, how likely do you think it is that you will experience a flash flood near you location?

Product	Not Likely At All	Somewhat Likely	Likely	Very Likely	Unsure
Flash flood Watch	o	o	o	o	o
Flash flood Warning	o	o	o	o	o

15. What is your gender?

    1. Male

    2. Female

16. What is your age?

    1. 18 - 29

    2. 30 - 39

    3. 40 - 49

    4. 50 - 59

    5. 60 - 69

    6. 70+

17. What is your race?

    1. African American

    2. Asian

    3. Caucasian

    4. Hispanic

    5. Other (please specify) ________________

18. What is your education level?

    1. Elementary School Only

    2. Some High School, but Did Not Finish

    3. Completed High School

    4. Some College, but Did Not Finish

    5. Two Year College Degree/A.A./A.S. or equivalent

    6. Four Year College Degree/B.A./B.S. or equivalent

    7. Some Graduate Work

    8. Completed Masters or Professional Degree

    9. Advanced Graduate Work/Ph.D

19. What is your household income?

    1. Under $25,000

    2. $25,000 - $39,999

    3. $40,000 - $49,999

    4. $50,000 - $74,999

    5. $75,000 - $99,999

    6. $100,000 - $124,999

    7. $125,000 - $149,999

    8. Over $150,000

The National Weather Service sincerely thanks you for your participation in this survey. We will be sure to use your feedback in our continued efforts to improve our products and services that help protect lives and property. Thank you for your time.