Flash Flood Warning Needs to Be Better Communicated

A new report assessing last May’s tornadoes in Oklahoma says the National Weather Service needs to develop a protocol for when there are multiple severe weather events.

The recommendation stems from the combination tornado and flash flooding that occurred on May 31 in El Reno.

Eight people died in the tornado while 13 people died in the flash flooding.

The report says that although the weather service warned about the flash flooding threat, the public was not generally aware of it.

The assessment released Friday reviewed the weather service’s formal warnings and other communications, including social media, from the tornadoes that devastated central Oklahoma last May.

The report found that social media users find the Norman office’s “aggressive” use of social media valuable.