YOURS, MINE, AND OURS: ASSESSING STAKEHOLDER NEEDS TO CO-CREATE USGS VOLCANO HAZARD PRODUCTS AT MOUNT SHASTA, CALIFORNIA (Invited Presentation)

Volcanic unrest is difficult to plan for, given the multihazard nature of volcanic activity, unpredictability of hazard types, and cascading effects. Research has shown that when volcanologists co-create hazard products with managers, decision-makers, and communities who will use them, the products are better understood, more used, and more valued. Mount Shasta, a large stratovolcano in Shasta and Trinity counties in northern California, is surrounded by several cities (Mt. Shasta City, McCloud, Weed) which would benefit from co-produced USGS hazard products. In particular, eruptions at Shasta have created large volcanic mudflows (lahars) in which melted snow and ice combined with debris on the slopes and flowed tens of kilometers beyond the base of the mountain. The communities around the volcano are built on these deposits and are adjacent to Shasta’s major drainages, and thus could be impacted by mudflows during a future eruption.

This ongoing cooperative work between the USGS and emergency managers, land managers, and decision-makers near Mount Shasta, will not only update and improve USGS volcano hazard assessments but create an ‘enhanced’ lahar hazard map incorporating exposure and hazard mitigation information. This iterative process of stakeholder surveys and structured interviews will inform hands-on workshops with USGS local, state, and federal levels, and ultimately feed into a new lahar hazard product for Shasta. The USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) will gain valuable user needs data and stakeholder personas, both of which are crucial to building effective hazard assessment products. The process will also provide stakeholders with resources for updating their own hazard response plans. Ultimately, the results of this work will provide a template for future co-production of lahar (and other volcanic) hazard assessments at the USGS.