Living in coastal areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico is extremely challenging due to many natural and anthropogenic disasters. It has been even more difficult for people who make a living on the water. Vietnamese-Americans in this region are particularly affected by natural disasters as their livelihoods are bound to the shrimping and fishing industry. Currently there are no radio stations on the coast that broadcast weather in Vietnamese, no television stations on the coast that have a Vietnamese translator, and no resources provided by local municipalities on the coast that have weather information translated into Vietnamese. 

This presentation will detail results from a partnership between Boat People SOS, NWS New Orleans, NWS Mobile, and the MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium to improve severe weather communications to vulnerable Vietnamese-American community members within the northern Gulf of Mexico that face language and cultural barriers to receiving critical risk-reducing information. 

A variety of methods were used to reach our target audience including education-focused promotion campaigns, through a variety of communication channels targeting different subgroups within the Vietnamese community, including those with various levels of English proficiency, health literacy, digital literacy, and science literacy. Severe weather messages were posted in English and Vietnamese languages on social media accounts and messages were disseminated on magnets, flyers, and mailers to the community-at-large during outreach events.

We will also discuss language and cultural barriers that weather communicators must be aware of when communicating with the Vietnamese-American community and ways to overcome these barriers. Partners will detail how the project has increased understanding of weather-related risks and communication products by Vietnamese-American families and businesses that will improve decisions that are made when severe weather threatens the area.