1998 Year of the Ocean Mitigating the Impacts of Coastal Hazards 



mobility of population and less direct contact with the environment, the occupant of hazardous 

 terrain may be less informed.'" (Burton, et al., 1993) The uninformed public is certain to be at a 

 disadvantage in preparing for and responding to hazard threats. 



Hazard Experience and Individual Behavior 



Another misconception about public perception of hazard risks involves the link between 

 hazard experience and behavior. A number of research studies indicate that prior hazards 

 experience does not necessarily lead to subsequent preventative action. In fact, several studies 

 have concluded that people without any hurricane experience tend to prepare and evacuate earlier 

 than those who have experienced it before, suggesting that "threshold" levels are higher for 

 experienced coastal residents. (Sims and Baumann, 1983). Education and outreach, therefore, 

 must be continuous and ongoing efforts to convince a diverse public of their risks to the impacts 

 of hazards. 



Multi-Faceted Public Education Process 



The complexity of these issues suggests that a general "blanket approach" to hazards 

 education and public policy will not be very effective. The reality is that people perceive hazard 

 risks differently from one another and often perceive their own risks differently depending on the 

 location and the situation. Different educational approaches need to be tailored to fit the 

 appropriate audiences. Since hazard mitigation can include many different strategies such as 

 improving emergency preparedness, strengthening the built environment, avoiding development 

 in hazardous locations, and acquiring adequate insurance coverage, public education 

 opportunities exist in many different disciplines. The challenge is for those disciplines to come 

 together in promoting a clear and concise hazard mitigation message to the public. 



Many organizations in the public and private sectors are involved in hazard mitigation 

 education and outreach activities. FEMA, along with their state and local emergency 

 management partners have ongoing public education campaigns directed at the general public. 

 FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program also includes a major public information campaign. 

 Other federal agencies such as NOAA and USGS also include hazards-related educational and 

 outreach efforts that increasingly incorporate a hazard mitigation focus. Numerous state-level 

 coastal zone management and Sea Grant organizations are developing statewide programs to 

 promote hazard awareness and mitigation activities. Organizations like the American Red Cross 

 and the Institute for Business and Home Safety are dynamic leaders in national hazard mitigation 

 initiatives that promote public-private partnerships and education. The private sector is also 

 becoming increasingly active in promoting hazard awareness and mitigation through programs 

 such as the Disaster Recovery Business Alliance. Insurance companies and financial institutions 

 are also playing a larger role in educating the public and encouraging disaster loss reduction 

 through mitigation. 



H-13 



