Terri Adams

Howard University, Sociology and Criminology, Faculty Member

Howard University, Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty Member

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Terri Adams, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. She currently serves as the Interim Director of the NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M) at Howard University, and the lead investigator of the decision-support team for the “Building Extreme Weather Resiliency Through Improved Weather and Climate Prediction and Public Response Strategies” project supported by the National Foundation’s Partnerships in International Research and Education Program.
Address: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Intersection of Trust in Forecast Information and Response to Warnings: T echnological Advancements Have Greatly Enhanced Weather Prediction Capabilities

98th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Jan 10, 2018

Resilience in the Face of Crisis

Policing in Natural Disasters: Stress, Resilience, and the Challenges of Emergency Management

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Professional responsibilities versus familial responsibilities: An examination of role conflict among first responders during the Hurricane Katrina disaster

Journal of Emergency Management, 2014

In the event of a human-caused or natural disaster, the police are essential front-line first res... more In the event of a human-caused or natural disaster, the police are essential front-line first responders. The ability of police departments to provide adequate services is contingent upon critical response personnel working and functioning in an efficient manner. Currently, it is assumed that first responders will continue to work in the event of a disaster, even if they are personally impacted by the disaster to which they are expected to respond. This study examines role conflict among police officers who served as first responders during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Chaos Theory and Organizational Crisis: A Theoretical Analysis of the Challenges Faced by the New Orleans Police Department During Hurricane Katrina

Public Organization Review, Jun 13, 2014

The Hurricane Katrina disaster presented the first responder agencies of New Orleans with an extr... more The Hurricane Katrina disaster presented the first responder agencies of New Orleans with an extraordinary set of circumstances. Although all first responder operations were hampered by the disaster, the police department's struggles were made most visible in the media. This article examines the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the organizational functions of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) during and immediately after the disaster using chaos theory as a model for analyzing the crisis faced by the department. Chaos theory has implications for a variety of features that are essential to organizational functions and management behavior that are relevant to first responder agencies. Review of the challenges faced by NOPD has implications for preparedness plans for other first responder agencies.

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Preparing for real-time weather risk management: the decision models of household evacuation under uncertainty for Taiwanese and US residents

Natural Hazards

The frequency of extreme weather events has increased in recent decades due to climate change, an... more The frequency of extreme weather events has increased in recent decades due to climate change, and the demand for both more accurate weather forecasts and early warnings surges in risk management of weather-related disasters. However, the gap between weather forecast issuance and proper usage remains considerable, and we still see individual and household inactive to precautionary actions across lead times. A lack of effective risk management and the inaction of individuals urge us to review and inspect household usage of weather information and the decision-making processes, so as to find effective strategies and ensure smarter risk management. Using a survey designed by NOAA National Severe Storm Laboratories, USA, and conducting nationwide surveys in the USA and Taiwan, respectively, we aim to inspect the determinants of household evacuation decisions. Particularly, we hope to know whether biased risk perception, cognitive biases on risk information, and cultural biases exist, thereby causing inactive household evacuation. This research finds both Taiwanese and US respondents have problems of optimistic bias at earlier lead times, until they observe the hazards. They also easily suffer from cognition biases while determining whether to evacuate. Our research suggests real-time weather risk management is essential and we demonstrate the following: firstly, strategies that help correct biased risk perception, including education on weather forecast interpretation, training courses of probabilistic forecasts, customized formats of weather risk information, and AI assistance in real-time weather risk assessment, should be initiated and developed to inform risk situations for different demographic groups. Secondly, smart scientific risk communication and risk education should be accurately implemented to capture user lifestyle about risk management and meet local needs and communication preferences.

Policing in Natural Disasters: Stress, Resilience, and the Challenges of Emergency Management

Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 2020

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An examination of the relationship between social and economic factors and homicide rates among young African American males in the United States from 1976 to 1992 /

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A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Intersection of Trust in Forecast Information and Response to Warnings: T echnological Advancements Have Greatly Enhanced Weather Prediction Capabilities

Severe Weather Forecasts and Public Perceptions: An Analysis of the 2011 Super Outbreak in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Weather, Climate, and Society

This paper uses the “Super Outbreak” of 2011 as a case study to examine the potential gaps betwee... more This paper uses the “Super Outbreak” of 2011 as a case study to examine the potential gaps between the dissemination of severe weather warnings and the public’s behavioral response to this information. This study focuses on a single tornado track that passed through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The tornado caused massive damage and destruction and led to a total of 62 fatalities. The threat of severe storms was known days in advance, and forecasts were disseminated to the public. Questions were raised about the forecasts, warning lead times, and the perception of the warnings among residents. This paper examines the potential gaps that exist between the dissemination of tornadic warning information and citizen response. The analysis of data collected through a mixed-method approach suggests that, regardless of weather forecast accuracy, a significant chasm exists between the dissemination of warnings and the personalizing of risks, which results in limited use of protective measures in the ...

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Resilience in the Face of Crisis

Historical homicide hot spots : the case of three cities /

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Uncovering the Cost of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Dallas County, Texas

Citeseer

Professional responsibilities versus familial responsibilities: An examination of role conflict among first responders during the Hurricane Katrina disaster

Journal of Emergency Management, 2014

Coping through a Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

Journal of Homeland …, 2011

Abstract In the face of manmade and natural disasters, first responders are called upon to respon... more

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coping through a Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina Coping through a Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

In the face of manmade and natural disasters, first responders are called upon to respond to emer... more In the face of manmade and natural disasters, first responders are called upon to respond to emergencies, protect the public, and mitigate further disaster consequences. While this is a professional expectation, extreme crisis events can present an inimitable set of challenges for responders, particularly when they are personally impacted by the disaster in which they are expected to respond. The media reports of "abandonment of duty" among police officers in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina disaster highlight the need to better understand factors that both challenge and encourage resilience among first responders. This study examines the coping practices that fostered resilience among the officers of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) who served as first responders to the Katrina disaster. To gain insight into the experiences and activities of officers during the most stressful parts of the crisis, face-to-face interviews were conducted with officers (N = 57) of varying ranks and divisions. The data demonstrates the dynamic nature of coping in disasters, as well as the range of strategies practiced by first responders in crisis situations.

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