CREW is a non-profit coalition of private, public, and academic partners working together to improve the ability of communities, businesses, and homeowners across Cascadia and the western U.S. to reduce the effects of earthquakes and related hazards, including tsunami.
The Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) formed in the late 1990s to address the regional nature of earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest. Because earthquake planning requires coordination across jurisdictions and between public agencies and private businesses, CREW consists of business people, emergency managers, scientists, government officials, and civic leaders who work together to reduce the effects of earthquakes and related hazards.
For over 20 years, CREW has successfully engaged in developing, sponsoring, and supporting earthquake risk mitigation activities. The impacts of CREW’s work have extended well beyond Cascadia, contributing significantly to the development of more resilient communities throughout the country’s seismically active areas. Today, CREW not only continues to address the need for coordinated education, planning, and mitigation throughout Cascadia, we have expanded our mission to include engagement with partner organizations across the western U.S.
Meet our Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
CREW’s Mission
The mission of CREW is to promote holistic risk reduction approaches, with mitigation as the cornerstone, and to foster the partnerships needed for the creation of more sustainable, risk-resistant environments.
CREW recognizes that planning for earthquakes and achieving resilience requires collaboration and input from both public and private sectors. We value and work closely with the many agencies and organizations that identify, study, monitor, and predict earthquakes and related hazards. Our mission and methods differ from theirs in that CREW functions as an organizer and facilitator, bringing together public, private, and non-profit organizations, including researchers, practitioners, business owners, and community members. By developing and fostering relationships, projects, products, and events that span city, state, and national boundaries, CREW helps both individual communities and regions raise awareness, develop mitigation strategies, and build resilience in ways that are coordinated, consistent with best practices, and cost effective.
Among other activities, CREW:
- Publishes timely and accurate information for the use of public and private sector decision-makers.
- Sponsors and facilitates discussions on emerging issues.
- Hosts quarterly meetings and business round tables.
- Produces planning guides and other resources.
- Responds to media requests for information and expertise.
- Maintains this website as a guide and gateway to the many community, state, and federal resources devoted to earthquake hazards and how to plan for them.
CREW’s Goals
- Promote efforts to reduce the loss of life and property damage from earthquakes.
- Educate and motivate decision makers, managers, and the general public to reduce risks associated with earthquakes.
- Foster productive linkages between scientists, critical infrastructure providers, businesses, and governmental agencies in order to improve the resilience of communities after an earthquake.
Join us! We welcome all individuals, businesses, and organizations that want to make Cascadia and the western region more resilient to earthquakes and related hazards.
Pascal Schuback | Executive Director