Alaska's Equity-focused Approach to Addressing Community-specific Tsunami Hazards

Coastal Alaskans live with the ever-present threat of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and landslides, or combinations of these geohazards. Alaska has an extremely long coastline, more than 34,000 miles, longer than the other 49 U.S. states combined. It is one of the most tectonically active places in the world. Because tsunami hazards, and their societal impacts, vary dramatically from place to place, Alaska requires an equity-focused approach at the community level to build community resilience.

Alaska coastal communities' populations range from around 100 to several thousand people and are composed of Alaska Native tribes living in their ancestral villages, descendants of early Russian settlers, and others who have been drawn to the region through time. Fjords, deltas, and other geomorphologic features create beautiful scenery, but also increase hazard vulnerability and limit access to only boats or planes for many communities. Some communities have a subsistence economy; others have industrialized fishing and canning or have embraced the tourism industry. The disparities in economy and resources result in highly vulnerable but often underserved communities. In addition to cultural and socioeconomic differences, the addition of an estimated 2.25 million annual tourists (half of whom are cruise ship passengers) and 50,000 seasonal workers creates an even wider gap in understanding and vulnerability to geohazards, as well as impacting a community's capacity to safely shelter during an emergency.

No single method of outreach can overcome these disparities. For this reason, for more than two decades the Alaska Earthquake Center has partnered with local, state, and federal agencies to continually develop multifaceted approaches to community-specific tsunami hazard assessment and public education. The center draws upon community-level oral and written histories of earthquake and tsunami experiences and community-identified needs, combining them with the best available science to produce relevant products. The center then works directly with local emergency managers to develop evacuation plans and education programs tailored to the individual community. In this presentation we will highlight the challenges, processes, and products we create to address Alaska's community-specific needs.