Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
a pilot tsunami awareness program in 2004 (above igure; Connor, 2005). The goal was to develop a
comprehensive tsunami outreach program that reached various segments of the community through
multiple channels and outreach types. Baseline measurements followed by post-outreach assessments
were integral to gauging the inluence of outreach efforts on public knowledge of and capacity to
respond to future tsunamis. The outreach efforts were managed by a tsunami outreach coordinator,
made possible with NTHMP funding, and were primarily driven by the involvement of more than 50
volunteers, including local students, retired residents, and oficials.
The tsunami awareness program was based on ive outreach strategies designed to reach target
audiences and provide multiple channels for learning: a neighborhood educator project had volun-
teers going door to door to discuss tsunami issues with homeowners; a business workshop focused on
improving the business community's emergency plan and preparedness planning; a school outreach
program educated elementary-school children through auditorium-style presentation and activities
and middle-school youth through small-group discussions; a public workshop was geared for involving
the community and tourists in discussing tsunami preparedness; and a tsunami-evacuation drill was run
at the end of the outreach program as a chance for individuals to practice what they had learned.
Surveys were conducted before and after the various outreach strategies to determine their inluence
on public understanding of tsunamis and their preparedness to future events. Post-outreach surveys
indicate that 68 percent of Seaside households received information and more than 2,200 people par-
ticipated in outreach events. The surveys documented measurable differences in tsunami knowledge
and preparedness of Seaside community members because of the various outreach efforts. The project
demonstrated that each of the ive strategies served a different role to fully prepare the community and
create a culture of awareness. Project organizers concluded that program success was largely due to
the “people-to-people, face-to-face discussions” at each event. An important next step is to see if and
how these lessons could be transferred to larger communities (e.g., Los Angeles, Honolulu) where social
networks are more complicated and the magnitude of people in tsunami hazards is much greater.
this topic for several reasons. One obstacle to this task is that the true breadth of U.S. tsunami
education efforts is not currently known by the NTHMP. There is no existing compilation or
inventory of NTHMP-related tsunami education efforts, nor is there a physical or electronic
repository for aggregating education efforts. Lacking an existing compilation or national
assessment of tsunami education efforts, the committee compiled a list of efforts that dem-
onstrates the breadth of activity across the NTHMP and outside of the program (Appendix E).
Based on this incomplete list of examples, it is clear that tsunami education is being done by
various organizations (e.g., county and state emergency management departments, K-12 edu-
cators, International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), Paciic Tsunami Museum, United Nations,
nonproit organizations) in various ways (e.g., coloring books, DVDs, fairs, school curriculum,
