The development of educational resources and materials for ShakeAlert, the earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States
Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with emergency management agencies, state geological surveys, and academic partners in Washington, Oregon, and California, are in Phase 1 of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast of the United States. ShakeAlert requires both technical expertise and direction for how the earthquake alerts will present the information without overwhelming the public to take protective actions when seconds count. To address the latter, in July 2016, the USGS and its partners formed the ShakeAlert Joint Committee for Communication, Education, and Outreach (JCCEO) to develop a comprehensive five-priority CEO plan focused on: (1) public safety, preparedness, and resilience, (2) technical partner engagement, (3) strategic communications, (4) integration with other federal and state earthquake information products, and (5) educational resource development.
In November 2018, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) became an educational partner with the JCCEO, to develop a suite of educational resources as part of priority 5. IRIS was solicited to reframe its existing educational activities and animations and/or develop new instructional materials for West Coast specific faults, tectonics, and natural hazards, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. We have developed a series of six educational topics that include instruction on plate tectonics and faults, the basics of earthquakes and seismology, the differences between magnitude and intensity, and how earthquake early warning can provide crucial seconds of time to take protective actions. This presentation will describe the importance of the educational components of the project and the resources that we are currently working on and repurposing for ShakeAlert. We will also discuss how we have designed our activities to inform and engage multiple audiences of all ages in a range of learning environments. In addition, we will show how we are taking actions in response to ongoing evaluations and feedback for our materials stemming from education symposia that took place in the three West Coast states from October 2018 - June 2019. This feedback and evaluation will drive future directions and how we continue to shape and reshape our educational materials for ShakeAlert use.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMPA32B..09S
- Keywords:
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- 4306 Multihazards;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4338 Disaster policy;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4341 Early warning systems;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4343 Preparedness and planning;
- NATURAL HAZARDS