Amy Freese covers hope and empowerment at the National Disaster Resilience Conference

FOX meteorologist and anchor Amy Freese spoke at the annual National Disaster Resilience Conference this week in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Hosted by the Federal Alliance for Safer Homes, or FLASH, the NDRC hosts presentations, panels and other events to help create buildings and communities that are more resilient to hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters.

Freeze represented FOX Weather on a panel titled “Leadership Voices – Media and Weather” which included panelists from the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Florida International University and other media outlets.

It covered a range of topics, such as lessons learned from Hurricane Ian in 2022 and the rapid intensification of Hurricane Otis this year.

How to prepare for hurricane season

They also covered how weather professionals can send better messages before, during, and after storms.

“This is really important,” Freeze said. “Obviously, what we expect before the storm tells people what they should do to prepare and what expectations they should have. During the storm, it gives them important information to understand what’s happening and how to protect themselves and when it’s over. Then, after the storm it’s a really important part, and we “We focus on it a lot because you get people’s attention right after the storm hits.”

She noted that the challenge facing leaders in the media immediately after the storm is to use this time frame to leverage messages and explain what actually happened.

Another topic discussed by the committee was the role of artificial intelligence in predicting the weather in the past and future. AI has been a part of forecasting since the 1970s, with meteorologists using a form of AI known as coding or modeling to allow them to improve forecast models, Freese said.

How AI helps build hurricane-resistant homes

Going forward, she said AI will still be part of how meteorologists improve forecasts, but it will also help us better understand the built world. For example, damage to a home can be simulated by applying mathematics and engineering to a built world designed or reflected in artificial intelligence programs.

However, for Freeze, the technology, messaging and other information covered during the session and conference go beyond the tangible and promote audience empowerment during weather events.

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“I really believe, at the end of the day, this conference is about hope,” Freeze said. “The reason we talk about resilience is because it sometimes creates hope in situations where we feel helpless. We can’t control the weather, but we can control how we build our structures to withstand the weather.”