Engaging Users: SAFRR Tsunami Scenario Creation and Results

Tue. 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Interlocken A

Communicating the risk and impacts of natural hazards takes an understanding of the hazard, what is at risk, and who (hopefully) has the ability to change outcomes. It's the combination of these three—with an emphasis on the third—that will lead to a more resilient nation. Using the approach of user-informed scientific scenarios, the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners used the scenario of a distant-source tsunami affecting the California coast as a way to further the understanding of tsunami risk and potential impacts on coastal communities.

Engaging users throughout the process has led to a richer understanding of what is at risk and where to focus scientific research. Additionally, for the first time, the USGS Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) approach to building scenarios has been evaluated to quantify the impacts of this approach. Panelists will give a preview of the results of this two-year tsunami study, as well as share the techniques used to engage users along the way—and how effective that has been.

Panelist John Bwarie, Moderator
U.S. Geological Survey

 

Panelist Liesel Ritchie, Panelist
University of Colorado Natural Hazards Center

 

PanelistLucy Jones, Panelist
U.S. Geological Survey

 

PanelistKeith Porter, Panelist
University of Colorado Boulder

 

Panelist Stephanie Ross, Panelist
U.S. Geological Survey

 

Organizer: John Bwarie, U.S. Geological Survey

NHC