By: Frank Came
Communities and local governments can conduct low-cost disaster vulnerability assessments by using a “bottom-up” approach that combines local knowledge with available public data. This approach prioritizes direct community engagement over expensive, high-tech tools.
Such approaches have been successfully implemented in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in coastal communities. They leverage local and historical knowledge to complement scientific data, providing a more comprehensive understanding of risks.
A key part of these assessments is understanding not only the physical threats but also the social and economic vulnerabilities of the population. Several low-cost approaches can pay big dividends when disasters do happen. These include Community Mapping, Historical and Scenario Analysis, and Asset and Capacity Inventories.
Community Mapping
Engaging residents in creating hand-drawn or digital maps of their community helps identify critical assets like hospitals, schools, and utility infrastructure, as well as high-risk areas like flood zones or slopes prone to landslides. Residents can add their own knowledge of local flood history, past storm damage, or places where vulnerable populations live.
A classic example of this approach is the Coastal Transportation Vulnerability & Planning Study. This study on coastal change vulnerability in several counties used a combination of physical and social factors to assess community vulnerabilities.
While not a classic hand-drawn community map, this approach is a form of digital mapping that combines local land-use choices and shoreline change history to assess vulnerability. It shows how local decisions and historical trends, which are forms of local knowledge, are mapped to understand risk.
Historical and Scenario Analysis
A great deal of valuable intelligence can be acquired by gathering stories and records of past disasters from community elders, local historical societies, and news archives. For example, the Pacific Northwest’s earthquake and tsunami preparedness is heavily influenced by historical and geological analysis of the Cascadia earthquake that happened in the 1700s.
While no written records exist from that time, scientists and communities have used the oral traditions of Indigenous peopleson Vancouver Island and in Washington, along with geological evidence such as “ghost forests,” to reconstruct the event. This historical analysis has been crucial for developing tsunami evacuation plans and building codes across the region.
Historical records of eruptions from Cascade volcanoes, such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, are used to create “what-if” scenarios for future volcanic events. This helps communities in Washington and Oregon plan for potential ashfall, lahars (volcanic mudflows), and other hazards.
By discussing “what if” scenarios (e.g., “what would happen if we had a 10-foot storm surge?“), communities can anticipate potential impacts and identify weaknesses in their current infrastructure and response plans.
Some First Nations communities in BC have engaged in bottom-up, community-driven risk assessments, which often include mapping out culturally significant sites, traditional use areas, and critical infrastructure in relation to potential hazards like tsunamis or landslides. This approach ensures that local knowledge and values are at the center of the planning process.
Asset and Capacity Inventories
Conducting a simple inventory of community assets, including people, organizations, and resources, is an excellent way of identifying assets that can become vitally important during emergencies. This includes local leaders, skilled volunteers, community groups, and communication networks. It’s important to recognize both tangible assets (e.g., community halls, generators) and intangible ones (e.g., strong social networks, local knowledge).
Organizations such as the Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (CRDR) and the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) collaborate to enhance regional resilience by fostering public-private partnerships and developing targeted action plans. Their work often involves creating inventories of critical infrastructure and resources across states and provinces to ensure a coordinated response to disasters.
The Washington State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan includes an inventory and assessment of hazards and vulnerabilities across the state. This plan provides a framework and example for local jurisdictions to conduct their own hazard analysis and mitigation planning, which often includes an inventory of hazards.
Overcoming Disaster Vulnerabilities
Once vulnerabilities are identified, communities can take proactive steps to mitigate them. These approaches can be done at a low cost and can significantly increase community resilience. Examples include Strengthening Social Networks, Implementing Early Warning Systems, and Utilizing Nature-based Solutions.
Strengthening Social Networks
Fostering strong social ties through regular community meetings, preparedness workshops, and community watch programs are classic ways of developing strong social networks that are critical assets during a disaster, as neighbors can check on one another, share resources, and provide support.
The Seattle Office of Emergency Management has a Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) program that encourages community members to work together following a disaster. The program provides toolkits and resources for neighborhoods to create their own flexible emergency plans, including identifying community coordinators, meeting places, and individual roles. This approach leverages existing social bonds to create a more resilient community.
Implement Early Warning Systems
Launching local awareness campaigns using simple, accessible language and visuals can inform residents about potential hazards, which is vital in sensitizing communities about pending disaster alerts. This can be as simple as using social media, community notice boards, and local radio stations.
They also involve using church bells, sirens, or text message alerts. The Pacific Northwest has implemented several region-wide early warning systems for earthquakes and tsunamis.
ShakeAlert® This system, a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners (including the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network), provides earthquake early warnings to people in Washington and Oregon via cell phone alerts. By detecting earthquakes and sending out alerts before strong shaking arrives, it gives people precious seconds to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
Coastal communities in Washington and British Columbia have established tsunami notification zones and public education campaigns. These include events like the High Ground Hike in British Columbia, which encourages residents to practice their evacuation routes to high ground.
Utilizing Nature-Based Solutions
Utilizing natural features to mitigate risk is a powerful and effective strategy for reducing the risks of damage or loss of life when disasters strike. For instance, restoring wetland forests can protect coastal areas from storm surges, while planting trees and maintaining vegetation can prevent erosion and reduce the risk of landslides.
These solutions are often more cost-effective and sustainable than large-scale engineering projects like sea walls or dikes. In British Columbia, the province is looking at ways to restore and protect natural shorelines as a solution to sea-level rise. Rather than relying solely on complex infrastructure like seawalls, these approaches use natural systems, such as trees and wetlands, which can buffer wave energy and adapt dynamically to environmental changes.
This not only provides coastal protection but also creates habitat for species like Pacific salmon. Many projects in Washington and Oregon are focused on restoring coastal wetlands and estuaries to provide natural flood control and erosion reduction.
These projects often involve community and volunteer efforts, making them a cost-effective and community-driven way to enhance resilience.
In conclusion
State and local governments can greatly improve disaster preparedness and risk reduction through low-cost and effective initiatives that prepare and mobilize community assets and resources vital in times of emergency. In the Pacific Northwest, numerous examples exist from which local governments and community groups can draw inspiration.
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Frank Came is the Communications Director for the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition. He can be reached at franktcame@gmail.com
