Architecture Commons^™

Measuring Tsunami Planning Capacity On U.S. Pacific Coast, Zhenghong Tang, Michael K. Lindell, Carla S. Prater, Samuel D. Brody

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Abstract: The U.S. Pacific coastal states are at risk from both locally and distantly generated tsunamis. This vulnerability can be reduced by effective hazard management plans, but no studies have been conducted to determine how local jurisdictions have incorporated tsunami hazard management into their planning frameworks. This paper analyzes the quality of hazard management plans from 43 coastal counties in these states. Plan quality was measured by a plan evaluation protocol defined by five components and 37 indicators. The results show that few Pacific coastal counties have prepared well for tsunamis. Most plans have a weak factual basis, unclear goals …