Complexities in Communication and Collaboration in the Hurricane Warning System

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2014

Department

Communication Studies

School

Communication

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the Texas hurricane warning system by understanding the communicative experiences of the warning-system boundary spanners, including National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters, emergency managers, and broadcast meteorologists. In-depth interviews lasting between 90 minutes and 120 minutes were conducted with 10 key actors and boundary spanners in the hurricane warning system. Constant comparison was employed to code and analyze the data. Our study revealed that communication and collaboration efforts were strained as the actors experienced tensions pursuing seemingly incompatible goals. The prominent tensions that emerged from interviews included the timeliness of information dissemination versus information accuracy and the access to information versus concerns of information attribution.

Publication Title

Communication Studies

Volume

65

Issue

5

First Page

468

Last Page

483

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