Shifting the focus from technical information to impacts from weather events in Samoa

The Samoan weather service is shifting away from technical wording in forecasts, instead using the impacts of the weather to deliver messages.

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Afaese Dr Luteru is the section head of weather forecasting with the Samoan meteorological service and said a simple shift could make a big difference to the community.

“Some people, no matter how many times we say 100 knots, they would never understand what that could do,” he said.

“We will add information like trees will fall down or things will start to [come] loose from shelters.”

Afaese hopes the change will help people use the information and reaction to the impacts.