Appalachian communities face growing risks as extreme weather communication gaps leave residents vulnerable

The summer of 2025 perfectly encapsulates the extreme weather conditions that Southeast Ohio and Central Appalachia currently face.

June and July were two of the wettest months on record, with flooding in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. But August was bone dry, with only a couple of days with measurable precipitation.

Examining the extreme weather conditions and the ability for communities to prepare for the effects, Natalie Kruse Daniels and Geoff Dabelko from 花季传媒鈥檚 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, were co-authors of a landmark article that recently appeared in the

The article identifies communication challenges faced by emergency management agencies in Central Appalachia as they engage communities in preparation, response, and recovery efforts for extreme weather events (EWEs). The article explains how a pervasive distrust of emergency agencies exists due to conflicting messages from emergency sources with ambiguous or overlapping roles, which creates confusion. Additionally, poor internet and cellular connectivity hinder timely information delivery and exacerbate vulnerabilities.

Additionally, the region's ingrained culture of 鈥榬iding it out鈥� poses tremendous risks.

鈥淭here are two faces of resilience, the Appalachia DIY attitude and stay out of my business, is seen as a strength,鈥� says Kruse Daniele. 鈥淎t the same time, there鈥檚 a lack of capacity and structural inequities. So they are resilient in some ways, but there are real fundamental limitations as to how far going it alone will get you.鈥�

The region has long been distrustful of outsiders and the government, rooted in the mining industry鈥檚 penchant for stealing mineral rights from landowners and the hostile treatment of workers. Pairing that with poor access to facilities and continuing education, the dearth of quality information, and the lack of broadband, it鈥檚 easy to see why the population is so vulnerable.

鈥淚f you don't have a smartphone-like device, what are you relying on?鈥� says Kruse Daniels.  鈥淪ome of our partners in Eastern Kentucky, the county governments there, don't have a website. Their entire communication is from Facebook.鈥�

Dabelko is especially concerned for the well-being of the region鈥檚 elderly population, where 20% of residents are over 65.

鈥淲ith the older adults, we look to them as experience experts to know whether that creek is going to flood or whether that hillside is going to come down,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd yet it's the communication challenge of the past is not necessarily going to be as good a predictor of the future going forward.鈥�

To make the region more climate resilient, the effort has to come from the coordination of emergency services, local governments, and community members. It won鈥檛 be easy; infrastructure needs to be improved, communication enhanced, and then the buy-in from residents is critical. Incremental steps matter.

鈥淣eighbors checking on neighbors is a pretty effective way of dealing with some extreme weather events,鈥� says Kruse Daniels. 鈥淭hat sort of social connectedness can be really positive, but local and most state emergency agencies do not have the capacity to manage a major disaster.鈥�