Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Public Perceptions Of U.S. Earthquake Early Warning Post-Alert Messages: Findings From Focus Groups And Interviews, Jeannette Sutton, Michele M. Wood, Savanah Crouch, Nicholas A. Waugh

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship

In May 2020, a false earthquake alert message was sent to the city of Ridgecrest, CA, in the U.S.A., an area that just 10 months prior had experienced a significant series of earthquake events. The false alert was followed by a post-alert message, indicating that the message was cancelled and under investigation. This event, the first of its kind in the U.S.A., provided an opportunity to learn about public perceptions of the post-alert message, including what individuals understood about the threat and their safety, and what actions they should take as a result. We conducted individual interviews with 40 persons …