Preparing for the Big One in the Pacific Northwest: What are Residents Really Doing?

Earthquake and tsunami household preparedness encompasses a multitude of preparedness tasks that require very different types of actions: make a plan, assess & fix one’s home, discuss & help each other, and practice together. In this study, in-depth interviews through focus groups and individual interviews are discovering how individuals from coastal Oregon businesses and residences describe their experiences in developing preparedness to earthquake and tsunami hazards. During these discussions, they are providing insight into motivators and inhibitors to preparedness for them at home, at work, and at play.

Getting ready and becoming prepared to natural hazards takes many forms and involves many layers of society. To create communities and individuals resilient to and prepared for natural disasters requires many interoperating scientific, technical, and social systems. Warning signs and placards designed to raise awareness of hazards and actions to take, formal education programs help reach students and, potentially, their families, and exhibits at science centers reach residents and visitors through informal avenues, and awareness fairs connect emergency managers with residents. Given these many avenues of communication and connection, this study examines motivations and barriers of individuals who live and work near coastal Oregon to developing earthquake and tsunami preparedness. This presentation will share the progress of this project.