More Ways to Reach People: Why Hurricane Alerts Shouldn’t Rely on One Channel

The same essential information may need to appear across several channels, but every version does not need to look exactly the same. Each format gives agencies different opportunities to communicate clearly.

• SMS: Keep messages especially concise. Lead with the affected area, the action people need to take, and important timing.  
• Voice: Write for someone hearing the message rather than reading it. Keep instructions straightforward and easy to understand the first time.  
• Email: Use the additional space for context, addresses, resource information, instructions, and helpful links.  
• Mobile notifications: Deliver timely information directly to mobile devices while keeping the most important action easy to identify.  
• Social media: Add context, provide ongoing updates, and direct people to official sources for additional information.  

For example, an SMS might tell residents that a road is closed and identify an alternate route. An email or social post can provide more detail about the affected area, why the closure is in place, and where residents can find future updates.

The goal is consistency in the instruction, not identical wording everywhere. 

IPAWS serves a different purpose from an agency’s opt-in communication channels. Authorized alerting authorities can use it to distribute geographically targeted public warnings through FEMA communication pathways, including Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System.

IPAWS also comes with specific requirements, procedures, training, and message considerations. Agencies should understand those requirements before an emergency and determine when IPAWS is appropriate, who is authorized to use it, and how it fits alongside other local communication methods.

For a deeper look at IPAWS requirements and alerting practices, read In Control: A Guide to Navigating Emergency Alerting With Authority and Precision. 

A multi-channel strategy is only as useful as the audiences your agency can reach through those channels. Public enrollment gives residents and businesses a way to provide contact information and keep it current so agencies have more options when it is time to communicate.

Do not wait until a hurricane is approaching to promote enrollment. Make it part of year-round community outreach through your agency website, official social channels, public events, newsletters, and other trusted local communications.

Regular outreach can also remind residents to update phone numbers, addresses, and other information when something changes. 

Reaching people is not only about choosing the right channel. Agencies should also understand the languages commonly used in their communities and plan in advance for how translated communications will be handled.

Even when someone understands English, urgent instructions may be easier to process in the language they use most comfortably. The core meaning should remain consistent across translations, especially the location, timing, and action the recipient needs to take.

Translation should also be reviewed with the communication channel in mind. A message that is concise in English may become longer in another language, particularly in SMS, so teams should make sure the most important information remains clear. 

No single communication channel will be the best way to reach every person in every hurricane scenario. The stronger approach is to understand the audience, choose the methods appropriate for the situation, and use each format for what it does best.

That also means planning how channels work together. Residents should receive clear, consistent information whether they encounter it through a text, phone call, email, mobile notification, social post, or public warning.

Preparing that approach before a storm gives agencies more ways to reach people throughout preparation, response, and recovery without expecting one communication method to do everything. 

The CodeRED Hurricane Preparedness Kit includes practical resources to help agencies strengthen hurricane communications, prepare their communities, and stay ready throughout the season.

Explore communication and alerting checklists, resident education resources, customizable social media materials, hurricane intelligence, and more.

Get the Hurricane Preparedness Kit