Assessing the Influence of Cultural Variables, Perceptions, and Earthquake Hazard Information on Household Emergency Preparedness

This project will examine the effect of cultural variables and different forms of earthquake hazard information on seismic risk perception and preparedness in the Portland (Oregon) Metropolitan Area. The potential societal impact of this work is four-fold. First, the research findings will improve university teaching by being incorporated into the investigator's course materials and textbooks. Second, the project will recruit doctoral students from demographic groups that are historically under-represented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Third, it will involve members of the Latino community, thus increasing community engagement. Finally, the collaborative relationship with local and state emergency management agencies will provide a means of disseminating improved hazard maps and other methods of communicating earthquake hazard information to the public.

This project has three specific objectives. First, it will assess the influence of media attention concerning the Cascadia earthquake hazard on earthquake emergency preparedness by households in the surrounding area. Second, it will assess the degree to which different types of hazard maps are accessible and useful to local residents. Third, it will examine the relative effectiveness of active and passive communication strategies in promoting earthquake risk perception and household emergency preparedness. To accomplish these objectives, residents in at-risk areas study will complete a seismic risk perception and preparedness questionnaire, and will have access to information sources to inform their assessments of hazard risk. The effects of information use will be assessed and compared with those collected from individuals attending in-person training sessions based on active-learning techniques and goal-setting strategies. The influence of cultural factors on preparedness attitudes and behavior will be assessed by working with the Portland Latino population using the same materials and approaches, provided in Spanish.