Red Cross Hurricane Preparedness Campaign Evaluation

A woman checking the items and preparing an emergency bag in the living room at home.

Problem

Red Cross sought evidence on whether its hurricane preparedness messaging was reaching and informing parents.

Hurricane frequency and severity have risen along the U.S. Southeast coast, and the American Red Cross has invested in education programs designed to help families prepare. Its Prepare for Hurricanes public service announcement (PSA) campaign targeted parents of children ages 5-10 in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, with messaging built around the children’s preparedness program Prepare with Pedro.

Red Cross engaged NORC to evaluate whether the campaign improved parents’ recall of key messages, knowledge of hurricane preparedness, and confidence in taking protective actions. Findings would inform how Red Cross refines future communications and educational strategies for families with young children.

Solution

NORC conducted a post-campaign, cross-sectional survey to evaluate campaign reach, comprehension, and preparedness impacts.

NORC designed and fielded a 31-item cross-sectional survey on its probability-based AmeriSpeak^® panel, reaching 162 eligible parents across the three target states between October 30 and November 25, 2025. All participants viewed the Watch vs. Warning PSA during the survey, enabling measurement of both unaided recall and immediate learning effects.

The survey assessed multiple domains: hurricane preparedness knowledge, household preparedness behaviors, comprehension of campaign concepts, self-efficacy, information sharing, and preparedness during a recent or potential future hurricane. NORC applied standard cleaning, weighting, and descriptive analytic methods, stratifying findings by state and prior campaign exposure where sample sizes allowed.

The evaluation gave Red Cross a clear picture of how the Prepare for Hurricanes campaign was received and where future efforts could strengthen its reach.

Result

Parents who saw the campaign reported stronger understanding of and confidence in hurricane preparedness.

The evaluation found that 26 percent of parents recalled the Prepare for Hurricanes campaign and 12 percent recognized Pedro the Penguin—exceeding recall rates reported in published research on comparable media campaigns. Parents most often remembered the campaign from the PSA videos and Red Cross newsletters.

The PSA reinforced key preparedness concepts—particularly the distinction between hurricane watch and warning alerts—and increased parents’ confidence in explaining safety information to their children. Some parents also reported intended behavior changes after viewing the video, including creating or updating supply kits, signing up for emergency alerts, and discussing preparedness within their families.

Parents who viewed the PSA and later experienced a hurricane reported reduced fear and stress, greater ability to take protective actions, and improved communication with their children. While reported preparedness was stronger in hypothetical scenarios than during real-world events, the campaign produced meaningful emotional and practical benefits. Findings directly informed NORC’s recommendations to Red Cross on future media strategies, action-oriented messaging, and evaluation design.