COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY TO TSUNAMIS IN THE U.S. PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Tsunamis are significant threats to coastal communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada, including near-field events caused by Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes and far-field events caused by earthquakes elsewhere on the Pacific Rim. To prepare at-risk populations for future tsunamis, emergency managers need to know where tsunami inundation is possible and understand who they are trying to prepare. Although much has been done to improve hazard mapping, warning systems, and public education, less has been done to understand and communicate societal vulnerability to tsunamis, specifically the potential impacts on people and infrastructure. This presentation summarizes current efforts to understand and reduce the risks posed by tsunamis, with specific attention to recent interdisciplinary efforts to characterize societal vulnerability to tsunamis. Recent efforts in the Pacific Northwest include state-level assessments of variations in community exposure to tsunamis, the use of midresolution satellite imagery to identify developed land in tsunami-prone areas, and factor analysis to model demographic sensitivity to tsunamis. To build community resilience and prevent future disasters, integrated information on tsunami hazards, societal vulnerability to tsunamis, and risk-reducing strategies is needed to help emergency managers and the public decide how they will prepare for future events.