GLACIER PEAK COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOCUSED ON VOLCANIC HAZARDS NEAR DARRINGTON, WASHINGTON AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS

Glacier Peak, one of five volcanoes in Washington State, is not prominent on the skyline nor accessible via vehicles. The Cascade Volcano Observatory states that Glacier Peak is a very high threat to over 47,000 residents who live within the range of hazards including the nearest town of Darrington. The volcano has produced multiple Lahars (volcanic floods) between 13,000 and 2,000 years ago, most of which reached Darrington. This study examines the public's knowledge of the volcanic hazards of Glacier Peak and evaluates the effectiveness of educational outreach on that knowledge. Previous work indicates that lahar-related household preparedness of the region can be improved on. Another study showed that participants who are introduced to experimental learning about volcanic disasters in Colombia began to transform how they thought about their preparedness due to their experience. From this study we decided to create experiences for participants by hosting an informational session and a guided field trip. We aim to see if providing the opportunity to learn more about the geological hazards of Glacier Peak will increase the knowledge retained. We deployed a public survey in Darrington, and the surrounding areas conducted from June 20 to August 31, 2022. The survey will allow for a baseline of what the community understands about the basic geological settings, as well as other questions related to how community members find information regarding household preparedness. After analysis of the survey results, an information session and guided field trip will cover the basic geological setting, volcanic hazards, and evacuation information. This will allow participants to experience the geological setting they live in and ask questions regarding geological hazards. A post survey will then ask comparable questions to the first survey. With the completion of this study, we will be able to see if participants knowledge and preparedness of volcanic hazards regarding Glacier Peak improved after being given the opportunity to learn more.