Information Sources and Government Trust Regarding Evacuation Decisions for Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Authors

• Ayden Carver, Vanderbilt University
• Brooke Page, University of South Florida
• Cassandra O’Connor, University of South Florida
• Jennifer Collins, University of South Florida

Document Type

Poster Session

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

• Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024) were powerful Category 4 & 5 storms that brought severe storms, surge and tornadoes to the state of Florida, resulting in over $113 billion in damages (Hurricane Costs, n.d.).
• Effective communication by official sources is key during weather events to protect the public and to maintain trust in government agencies, as well as to ensure accurate understanding of risk by all.
• Social media has become a dominant platform for communication, yet many government agencies have not properly adapted to using it (Torres et al., 2023).
• Understanding sources people use to make evacuation decisions can possibly reveal trust in official messaging.

Scholar Commons Citation

Carver, Ayden; Page, Brooke; O’Connor, Cassandra; and Collins, Jennifer, "Information Sources and Government Trust Regarding Evacuation Decisions for Hurricanes Helene and Milton" (2025). Weather, Climate, and Society REU. 5.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/weather-climate-society_reu/5