(1) Determine how risk can be communicated most effectively

(2) Explore how risk perceptions associated with “distant” tsunami alerts and warnings affect emergency managers willingness to issue emergency alerts

The qualitative portion of this project involved semi-structured interviews with coastal emergency managers to explore perceptions of the tsunami and the subsequent risk communication actions they took. The unique nature of the event led to identification of unanticipated facilitators and barriers to decision-making among participants. The findings can inform distant tsunami risk communication and preparedness for coastal communities.

A second strand of this research will use quantitative data collected through pay-wall intercept online surveys to explore coastal residents’ attitudes toward tsunami risk and preparation. Survey questions asked coastal residents about their knowledge of and preparation for tsunamis prior to the Tonga event, their engagement with alerts and other information concerning the Tonga event, and any preparedness actions they had taken in response to tsunami risk. 

Illustration of the predicted time in hours for the tsunami waves to reach various coastlines. The green triangles indicate Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoys that detect tsunami wave movement