ENGAGING THE PUBLIC: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO SUPPORT SHAKEALERT®, THE EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES

Over 55 million people living in Washington, Oregon, and California face much of the earthquake hazard and risk in the United States. In light of this, the U.S. Geological Survey and partners developed the Advanced National Seismic System’s ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system for these states to quickly detect significant earthquakes, allowing delivery partners to alert people and automated systems about imminent shaking. An important component of ShakeAlert implementation is educating the public on earthquake hazard and risk, how ShakeAlert works, and how to prepare for and take protective actions during an earthquake. Multiple partners, including the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), and UNAVCO have engaged in this education and outreach effort, developing programs and resources to engage learners across a breadth of ages, locations, and environments. This poster will 1) highlight educational activities developed in conjunction with the 2021 rollout of ShakeAlert public alerting in Oregon and Washington and the results of those activities and 2) point viewers towards resources for earthquake education (including animations, activities, and curricula) that have been developed and are available for use in formal, informal, and/or virtual settings.