The National Weather Service will no longer provide translation services, including for urgent weather alerts. The translations had been provided through an outside translation service, but its contract with the NWS has lapsed.
That can be dangerous news for Nebraska’s non-English speakers, said Maria Arriaga, the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans.
“We know living in Nebraska that timely and accessible weather information is crucial for safety,” she said. “So I’m very concerned about how our communities are going to start getting access to this information.”
Arriaga added that the decision will disproportionately affect the state’s Latino communities. The Commission has recorded that 12% of Nebraskans speak a language other than English in the home. Spanish makes up most of that number at around 8%.
“This linguistic diversity underscores the necessity to have multilingual communication, especially concerning critical weather alerts,” Arriaga said. “We know that many of our people, many of our people in our community, are still developing English proficiency. So without having accessible information, they are facing heightened risk during emergencies. And this is very important because we live in a state where you need to be very aware of the weather.”
The commission is working on developing partnerships with state-level weather services to offer non-English information. It will also continue to translate all weather alerts on its social media accounts and website.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, western Nebraska has one of the highest probabilities of blizzards in the country with a greater than 50% probability of a blizzard hitting in any given year. The report also showed Nebraska experiences an average of 57 tornadoes per year. The panhandle is particularly vulnerable to hailstorms with an average of seven to nine days a year.
“It’s imperative that all Nebraskans, regardless of their primary language, have equal access to vital weather information,” Arriaga said.
Arriaga urged anyone with translation needs or questions to call the commission, especially for concerns about extreme weather. The commission, along with other community organizations throughout the state, works year round to ensure all Nebraska residents understand how to prepare and respond to extreme weather.