EVALUATING TSUNAMI EDUCATION IN COASTAL WASHINGTON, USA: A REVIEW

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1 10NCEE Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Frontiers of Earthquake Engineering July 21-25, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska EVALUATING TSUNAMI EDUCATION IN COASTAL WASHINGTON, USA: A REVIEW D. Johnston 1, V. Johnson 1, J. Becker 1, G. Leonard 1, S. Fraser 1, W. Saunders 1, K. Wright 1, D. Paton 2, C. Gregg 3, B. Houghton 4, J. Schelling 5, D. Nelson 5, G. Crawford 5, B. Walker 5, N. Wood 6 ABSTRACT Improving the response capacity of coastal communities at risk to tsunami presents an on-going challenge. To meet this challenge Washington State Emergency Management has supported the development of an evaluation program since 2001 to monitor and continually improve its earthquake and tsunami education and preparedness programs. The overall conclusion of the initial studies was that the hazard education program up to that time had been successful in terms of promoting awareness of and access to information about tsunami hazard among the residents. However, despite success in disseminating hazard information, levels of preparedness were recorded at low to moderate levels. Following the initial evaluation a range of educational materials and outreach initiatives were developed to address the key research findings and ongoing evaluations have tracked changes in community preparedness. Our research and education has used multiple research and outreach approaches to bring about measureable change in the earthquake and tsunami preparedness of coastal Washington residents. 1 Joint Centre for Disaster Research, GNS Science/Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand 2 School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, New Zealand 3 Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA 4 Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822,USA 5 Washington Emergency Management Division, Camp Murray, WA , USA 6 U.S. Geological Survey, Portland, OR 97201, USA Johnston, D, Johnson V, Becker J, Leonard G, Fraser S, Saunders W, Wright K, Paton D, Gregg C, Houghton B, Schelling J, Nelson D, Crawford G, Walker B, Wood N. Evaluating tsunami education in coast Washington, USA: A review. Proceedings of the 10 th National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Anchorage, AK,

2 10NCEE Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Frontiers of Earthquake Engineering July 21-25, 2014 Anchorage, Alaska Evaluating tsunami education in coastal Washington, USA: A review D. Johnston 1 V. Johnson 1, J. Becker 1, G. Leonard 1, S. Fraser 1, W. Saunders 1, K. Wright 1, D. Paton 2, C. Gregg 3, B. Houghton 4, J. Schelling 5, D. Nelson 5, G. Crawford 5, B. Walker 5, N. Wood 6 ABSTRACT Improving the response capacity of coastal communities at risk to tsunami presents an on-going challenge. To meet this challenge Washington State Emergency Management has supported the development of an evaluation program since 2001 to monitor and continually improve its earthquake and tsunami education and preparedness programs. The overall conclusion of the initial studies was that the hazard education program up to that time had been successful in terms of promoting awareness of and access to information about tsunami hazard among the residents. However, despite success in disseminating hazard information, levels of preparedness were recorded at low to moderate levels. Following the initial evaluation a range of educational materials and outreach initiatives were developed to address the key research findings and ongoing evaluations have tracked changes in community preparedness. Our research and education has used multiple research and outreach approaches to bring about measureable change in the earthquake and tsunami preparedness of coastal Washington residents. Introduction Improving the response capacity of coastal communities at risk to tsunami presents an on-going challenge. To meet this challenge Washington State Emergency Management has supported the development of an evaluation program since 2001 to monitor and continually improve its tsunami education and preparedness programs. This paper describes and summarizes the key studies. 1 Joint Centre for Disaster Research, GNS Science/Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand 2 School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, New Zealand 3 Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA 4 Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822,USA 5 Washington Emergency Management Division, Camp Murray, WA , USA 6 U.S. Geological Survey, Portland, OR 97201, USA Johnston, D, Johnson V, Becker J, Leonard G, Fraser S, Saunders W, Wright K, Paton D, Gregg C, Houghton B, Schelling J, Nelson, D, Crawford G, Walker B, Wood N. Evaluating tsunami education in coast Washington, USA: A review. Proceedings of the 10 th National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Anchorage, AK, 2014.

3 Evaluation program An initial survey of resident and non-resident visitor perceptions of and preparedness for tsunami hazards was conducted along the west coast of Washington during August and September 2001 [1, 2, 3]. A second and third phase of evaluation began in February 2003, consisting of a series of focus groups and a school survey which examined beliefs regarding preparedness and warnings [2]. These surveys provide baseline data against which subsequent intervention activities are being assessed. The overall conclusion of the first three studies was that while hazard education programs up to that time had succeeded in promoting awareness of and access to information about tsunami hazard among the residents, levels of preparedness were recorded at only low to moderate levels. The discrepancy between hazard awareness and levels of preparedness emphasized the importance of accommodating pre-existing cognitive biases and social interpretive processes and their influence the on translation of beliefs into actions. These findings illuminate the need for additional community engagement strategies to engage people with the risk management process to facilitate community-led contributions to individual and community preparedness. Following the initial evaluation a range of educational materials and outreach initiatives were developed to address the key research findings. In 2005, another survey was undertaken in Ocean Shores, Washington to assess the level of tsunami hazard knowledge and response planning within the tourism sector [4]. The goal of this study was to evaluate staff training for emergencies, emergency management exercises, and hazard signage within motels and hotels (Figure 1). The study found levels of staff training and preparedness for tsunami and other hazards was generally very low. Suggestions on how to improve preparedness were adopted by the State and included: analyses of training needs, workshops, development of a Disaster Response Guidebook for Hotels and Motels, simulations and employee training to empower both businesses and employees. Follow-up studies in 2006, 2007 and 2010 noted improvements in training and levels of preparedness within the tourism sector [5, 6]. While the guidebook was found to be extremely beneficial, it was concluded that the guidebook alone will not bring about the desired levels of sustained preparedness. The distribution of the guidebook needs to be augmented with a range of other training interventions, many of which have been developed or are under development (i.e. enhanced siren testing and community-based evacuation drills) and which aim to integrate hazard readiness within community culture in ways that mirror findings in traditional communities. Figure 1. Signs distributed by Washington State Emergency Management office to hotels and motels.

4 Figure 2. Testing the system in real time!!! Local Fireman from Greys Harbour Fire Service passing on the advisory notice to people coming to the beach 28 February 2010, following the tsunami advisory from the Chilean earthquake. In a 2008 paper Becker and colleagues explored a case study where traditional stories ( oral tradition ) are being used in a contemporary context for tsunami education [7]. The studied showed that traditional knowledge was being used effectively to undertake hazard education and enhance response to warnings. The video titled Run to Higher Ground! is an example of this, and has been readily taken up by indigenous communities and the general population (both in the USA and internationally) as an educational tool. Facilitating preparedness also plays a role in enhancing response to warnings. A 2010 study assessed community-based evacuations drills and siren tests [8]. The project report reviewed and develops procedures for warning system testing and evaluation, especially of the human response. It provided general recommendations for the following: designing a warning system with the community for effective evacuation response; conducting a communityled evaluation; conducting a community-lead evacuation exercise; keeping it simple ; evaluation criteria for observers and participants; community-based post exercise work-up. Draft procedures and templates were tested in two exercises. The draft observer template was trialed in a state-wide tsunami siren test on September 15th, 2010, and a draft community survey was also trialed following that test. The draft participant template was then trialed on September 17th 2010 during a tsunami evacuation exercise at Shoalwater Bay Community. From trialing those draft templates, aspects of some questions and methods were improved and a final set of templates is provided.

5 The most recent study was in October 2012 [9], when Washington state participated for the first time in ShakeOut, an annual, one-day event that aims to inform the public about earthquake and tsunami preparedness and encourage residents to simultaneously practice Drop, Cover and Hold On, the recommended protective action during an earthquake (Figure 3). Some communities in low-lying coastal areas threatened by tsunami hazards also used ShakeOut as an opportunity to practice tsunami evacuation. The aim of this evaluation was to see how well children in grades six through 12 in two coastal Washington state school districts understood the objectives and consequences of the protective actions practiced during the ShakeOut drill, including a practice of tsunami vertical evacuation inside the schools. Across both school districts, 29 teachers volunteered to participate and administered pretest and posttest questionnaires to 574 students, age 10 and older, in order to assess differences in students knowledge, skills and attitudes about disaster preparedness and protective actions as a result of participating in the ShakeOut drill. The evaluation found that students had high levels of familiarity and correct knowledge about key protective actions for earthquakes and tsunami before ShakeOut, indicating that previous education and disaster drills in these two school districts have been effective in raising and maintaining children s awareness of what to do during these disasters. However, significant proportions of students did not understand the causes of injury during earthquakes and had difficulty applying the protective actions they have practiced in the classroom to situations outside the classroom. Also, more than a quarter of students in both school districts did not know or were not sure if they participated in a tsunami evacuation drill during ShakeOut. These results indicate that school-based disaster drills should be complemented with additional classroom lessons and discussion. Figure 3. Washington Shakeout poster

6 Conclusions Decades of international research has consistently shown that public education programs should include a traditional information dissemination element, as well as a more interactive community-based component [10, 11]. Our research and education has used multiple research and outreach approaches to bring about measureable change in the tsunami preparedness of coastal Washington residents. Acknowledgements The work reviewed in this paper has been supported by the State of Washington, in partnership with GNS Science and Massey University in New Zealand. References 1. Johnston, D., Paton, D., Houghton, B., Becker, J. Crumbie, G. (2002). Results of the August-September 2001 Washington State Tsunami Survey. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 2002; Johnston, D., Paton, D., Crawford, G. L., Ronan, K., Houghton, B., Bürgelt, P. (2005).Measuring tsunami preparedness in Coastal Washington, United States. Natural Hazards 35(1): Paton, D.; Johnston, D.M.; Houghton, B.; Becker, J.S.; Crumbie, G. (2003). Tsunami preparedness in coastal Washington State. Journal of the American Society of Professional Emergency Planners 2003; Johnston, D., Becker, J., Gregg, C., Houghton, B., Paton, D., Leonard, G., Garside, R. Developing warning and disaster response capacity in the tourism sector in coastal Washington, USA (2007). Disaster Prevention and Management 16: Johnston, D.; Leonard, G.; Becker, J.; Saunders, W.; Gowan, M. Evaluating warning and disaster response capacity in the tourism sector in Long Beach and Ocean Shores, Washington, USA (2009). GNS Science Report 2009/10. 10p. 6. Johnston, D.M.; Leonard, G.S.; Becker, J.S.; Garside, R.U. (2011). Evaluating warning response capacity and staff training in the tourism sector in coastal Washington, USA. GNS Science Report 2011/03. 11p. 7. Becker, J., Johnston, D., Lazrus, H., Crawford, G., Nelson, D. (2008). Use of traditional knowledge in emergency management for tsunami hazard: A case study from Washington State, USA. Disaster Prevention and Management 17: Leonard, G.S.; Johnston, D.M.; Gregg, C.; Garside, R.; Saunders, W.S.A.; Becker, J.S.; Fraser, S. (2011). Evaluation and recommendations for tsunami and lahar exercises in Washington State. Lower Hutt: GNS Science. GNS Science Report 2011/32. 47p. 9. Johnson, V. A. (2013). An impact evaluation of ShakeOut, an earthquake and tsunami drill in two coastal Washington state school districts. GNS Science Report 2013/19. 37p. 10. Ronan, K.R., Johnston, D.M. (2005). Promoting Community Resilience in Disasters: The Role for Schools, Youth, and Families. New York, NY: Springer, 210p. 11. Finnis, K.K., Johnston, D.M., Becker, J.S., Ronan, K.R, Paton, D. (2007). School and community-based hazards education and links to disaster-resilient communities. Regional development dialogue 28(2):