COMMUNICATING THE EARTHQUAKE ISSUE: TELLING IT LIKE IT IS TO THOSE WHO DON'T WANT TO HEAR

Earthquake hazards and earthquake risks are popular topics among the general public. Since the Southeast Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, the central-US earthquake issue has gained some visibility among policy-makers and private-sector leaders. This relatively small group has both the authority and responsibility to make changes that will minimize earthquake risk to society at large. Presently, the geoscience community provides significant, relevant information about both earthquake hazards and earthquake risks as a matter of course. However, it may be more effective to adopt somewhat of a ‘marketing' strategy to leverage communication into action, via a bottom-line approach. This includes 1) becoming more proactive in outreach work; 2) carefully targeting small groups of key leaders who serve in selected roles; 3) filling a need for the customized and practical information this audience demands; 4) presenting and delivering that information in a way that is most useful to the audience; and 5) most importantly, present clear and convincing proof that reducing earthquake risks is a prudent business strategy that adds value to any entity – as well as to society at large. This may require a paradigm shift by the geoscience community, but it also may result in considerable leverage added to the earthquake issue. The St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project, led by the US Geological Survey, has applied this marketing approach to its outreach effort.