Geoscience Reference
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are evaluated for their compliance with education standards (e.g., National Research Council,
1996b), but other tsunami outreach efforts (e.g., workshops, media kits, hotel training guides)
do not undergo any formal evaluative review by the NTHMP. This committee commends the
NTHMP for recognizing these and other deiciencies in tsunami education in its 2009-2013
draft strategic plan. The plan cites several performance measures related to tsunami education.
Such performance measures include an inventory of current efforts, an education implemen-
tation plan, and electronically available curricula by 2009 (which has not been met). Goals for
2010 include guidelines for tsunami education and a national tsunami media toolkit. Further
goals include outreach materials for coastal businesses and tourists, integration of tsunami
information into K-12 education through at least one state pilot project by 2011, and a web-
based repository for NTHMP-related products by 2012. The draft strategic plan also recognizes
the need for evaluation, and it plans to conduct evaluations that determine the effectiveness of
tsunami education products and programs in 10 selected communities by 2010.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Tsunami Program and the
NTHMP are not alone in their mission to safeguard coastal communities from hazards. Other
organizations, including other NOAA entities, also share the mission of educating communi-
ties about coastal hazards. For example, the NOAA Sea Grant College Program strategic plan
(2009-2013) includes a focus area on hazard resilience in coastal communities that includes
research aimed at increasing the availability and utility of hazard-related information and the
development of comprehensive education programs of coastal hazards and how to prepare for
them. The NOAA Ofice of Education's strategic plan (2009-2029) cites a need for a NOAA edu-
cation community that functions in a uniied manner and coordinates with agency extension,
training, outreach, and communications programs. The NOAA Coastal Services Center works
with private and public sector partners to address coastal issues, such as resilience to natural
hazards, and offers training and information on stakeholder involvement in local management,
needs assessments, project/program evaluation, and resilience assessments. In the course
of this review, the committee heard of little, if any, interaction between the NOAA Tsunami
Program and other NOAA efforts devoted to coastal hazards education (e.g., NOAA Ofice of
Education, NOAA Sea Grant College Program, NOAA Coastal Services Center). The commit-
tee found no evidence that TWC staff interact with staff at other NOAA warning centers (e.g.,
National Severe Storms Laboratory [NSSL], National Hurricane Center [NHC], Aviation Weather
Center [AWC], Storm Prediction Center [SPC]), representing missed opportunities to learn best
practices in educating the public about extreme events and warning messaging.
Conclusion:
Current tsunami education efforts are not suficiently coordinated and run
the danger of communicating inconsistent and potentially confusing messages. The
committee was not able to fully evaluate the effectiveness of current educational efforts
because the NTHMP lacks an inventory of education efforts or evaluative metrics. The
committee concludes that current tsunami education efforts of each NTHMP member
are conducted in an ad-hoc, isolated, and often redundant nature and without regard to
evidence-based approaches in the social and behavioral sciences on what constitutes
effective public risk education and preparedness training. The lack of NTHMP mechanisms
