The purpose of this white paper is to summarize the scientific evidence and professional opinion concerning earthquake protective actions that can be taken by the public immediately before the ground starts to shake, in as many scenarios as possible.
Although the advent of Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) in the U.S. provides a tremendous opportunity to reduce human, property, and economic losses, there are substantial, critical gaps in research needed to help guide the design and implementation of the U.S. system, ShakeAlert. Scholars and practitioners have amassed decades of research about actions to take during earthquake shaking; however, very little research has been conducted specifically on the unique context of EEW.
Due to the gaps in research around EEW, this white paper focuses on the strength of evidence that supports (or fails to support) general earthquake protective actions. The authors primarily summarize content from two key reports by FEMA and GHI, integrating dozens of additional literature sources and input from subject matter experts. The white paper examines more than a dozen protective actions, from “Stay Indoors” to “Pull Over and Stay in Vehicle”, noting whether each action is recommended, recommended with caution, or not recommended for inclusion in public education campaigns.
To help guide emergency managers in their support of ShakeAlert, existing research must be assessed for its appropriateness in an EEW context, and the need for additional research to fill critical gaps in light of EEW implementation should be identified and conducted. In addition, crucial to this effort is having a clear understanding of the evidence base and strength of support for recommending different protective actions in various settings, including whether support is based on research findings, expert opinion, or simply on informed practice.
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