Research Summary: Multilingual Agent System for Inclusive Wildfire Evacuation Guidance

Wildfire seasons are significantly longer, posing substantial threats to communities. A critical issue identified is the disproportionate information distribution during emergencies, as over 80% of warning messages are English-only, despite 26 million people in the US having limited English proficiency. To address this, a new service named BEACON has been developed. This multilingual agent system aims to provide inclusive, comprehensive, and personalized wildfire evacuation guidance, including navigation, checklists, and a chatbot, all delivered in a user's native language.

Why it matters

The development of multilingual emergency communication systems addresses critical gaps in public safety and equity, particularly for vulnerable populations during natural disasters. Ensuring access to vital information in native languages can significantly improve evacuation compliance, reduce casualties, and mitigate financial and health impacts for limited English proficiency communities. This initiative demonstrates a proactive approach to enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience through technological and linguistic inclusivity.

Key insights

• Wildfire seasons have extended by 84 days compared to the 1970s, increasing threats to financial stability and health.
• A significant portion of the U.S. population (26 million) has limited English proficiency.
• Emergency messages from public agencies are predominantly in English (over 80%), leading to unequal information access.
• The lack of multilingual communication results in disproportionate information distribution and awareness among marginalized communities.
• BEACON, a new service, offers comprehensive and personalized evacuation guidance in multiple languages.
• BEACON's features include navigation routes, personalized checklists, and a chatbot, all tailored to the user's language.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03301