RAPID: Collaborative Research: Examining Critical Infrastructure and Protective Decision-Making During 14-15 March 2025 Multi-State Nocturnal Tornado Outbreak

The objective of this Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project is to collect time-sensitive data on how housing infrastructure, risk perception, and warning communication influence people’s ability to take protective action during nighttime tornadoes. On 14-15 March 2025, a deadly outbreak of nocturnal tornadoes occurred across the Midwestern United States. When tornado disasters occur at night, they significantly increase fatality and injury rates, as they are difficult for the public to receive warnings and take protective action, as many are often asleep in homes that may lack adequate wind-resistant features or safe sheltering options. By integrating tools and methods from civil engineering and the social and behavioral sciences, the project aims to advance interdisciplinary knowledge about nighttime tornado sheltering vulnerability and decision-making processes. Using a convergent mixed-methods design and guided by the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), the project conducts engineering assessments of wind damage across residential housing types and collects survey data on how households responded to the tornado outbreak. Project findings provide new understanding of converging social, behavioral, and built environment factors that facilitate or hinder effective protective action during nighttime tornado threats and will inform public warning systems, safe housing guidance, and emergency planning. Results are broadly shared with weather forecasters, emergency managers, and researchers as well as supporting student training and education across engineering and social science programs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.