Be prepared for the storms: Journalists must plan now to cover severe weather

Reporter Emily Foxhall works during Hurricane Harvey.
(Photo by Godofredo Vásquez,Houston Chronicle)

Environmental journalists covering weather disasters are having a hectic year. "New government data revealed that the U.S. has already experienced more billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 than in any other year since authorities started tracking such data 40-plus years ago," reports Lydia O'Connor of HuffPost. "The catastrophes include 18 severe storms, two floods, a tropical cyclone, a winter storm and the deadly wildfire event that struck Maui last month." Reporting on weather disasters like these takes planning, reports Emily Foxhall for the Society of Environmental Journalists. Foxhall shares these tips:

Prepare supplies and food well ahead: My guiding principle for reporters in the field: Be prepared to rely on yourself for everything, as if you were spending a week camping.

Step one happens before disaster hits. Newsrooms need to organize go-bags for reporters with essential supplies. Reporters who will be assigned to disaster coverage should get stipends to purchase nonperishable food to last however long they will be there.

Some supplies I've found especially helpful include a power inverter to charge devices in your car, a flashlight or lantern with extra batteries, a first-aid kit, sunscreen and bug spray, quick-drying clothes, rain gear, waterproof bags for a phone and notebooks, thick-soled shoes to walk safely in debris-strewn floodwater — and lots of extra socks.

Make a reporting plan when the disaster looms. Meteorologists know when a hurricane is approaching, giving newsrooms time to plan. Other disasters might not have the same lead time. No matter how rushed you are, before leaving to cover any emergency, try to take the time to do the following:

• Fill your gas tank.
• Be sure your spare tire is full of air.
• Charge devices and backup power banks.
• Download Maps. Me for offline map access.

Talk with those in your newsroom about how they can help while you're on the scene reporting. While you're focused on the victims and the survivors, reporters in the newsroom can help you figure out where to go next or provide helpful context about a certain city or neighborhood where you're spending time.

Colleagues can also help by watching news conferences, quickly filing the necessary public information requests and finding you a safe place to stay (this could be with first responders early on; hotels will need to be booked quickly because they fill up after disasters). They might also pull needed context on how climate change affects what happened.

Know this will still be hard, and that's OK. Being ready will help make disaster coverage as smooth as it can be. I've found it's still important to give myself patience and grace when working through it.

By the time I covered Hurricane Laura in 2020, I thought I had all of this down. I'd covered several disasters by that point. I'd trained younger colleagues on how to cover hurricanes. I had my supplies ready. I knew contacts in the area who could help me get around flooded spots.

I still faced difficulties.

I'm glad to hear editors talk about prioritizing the well-being of reporters and how to support them through this type of work. If that conversation isn't happening in your newsroom, it may be time to get it started. Climate change is only making this kind of disaster coverage more necessary. We owe it to ourselves and our industry to be ready.