Hydrologic Hazards Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (1999) / Chapter Skim
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5 Communicating Information on Hydrologic Hazards
5 Communicating Information on Hydrologic Hazards
Pages 49-62
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From page 49... ...
Outreach efforts improve "customer service" and raise the general public's awareness of USGS expertise and activities having a critical and significant connection to their own lives. In operational terms the purpose of outreach is to effectively communicate to decision makers the nature, probability, and consequences of hydrologic hazards.
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From page 50... ...
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF USGS OUTREACH The role of the USGS in providing reliable and impartial information on hydrologic hazards has changed dramatically in the past 30 years, driven by a changing customer base and rapidly evolving information technologies. The primary customers for hydrologic data and related information in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century were the agencies and organizations responsible for developing the nation's water resources infrastructure.
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From page 51... ...
Reliable historical streamflow data during this period were primarily provided in printed form, with provisional real-time data available to specialized users. Interpretive information on historical hydrologic risks became more widespread and standardized through USGS's flood studies and flood frequency analyses.
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From page 52... ...
FUTURE USGS OUTREACH Continuing expansion of the USGS customer base, along with accelerating improvements in information technologies, can be expected to propel USGS's outreach efforts in hydrologic hazards in new directions. Growing demands for expanded hazard information can be expected to be driven by increasing activities to actively manage local risks associated with hydrologic hazards, expanding awareness of hydrologic hazards and their potential for catastrophic losses among the general public, and continued growth in properties and populations at risk from hydrologic hazards.
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From page 53... ...
In this context historical risk refers to unconditional risk information that is not dependent on current hydrologic conditions, such as observed river stages or reservoir levels. Examples of traditional USGS activities in characterizing historical risks include flood frequency analyses and floodplain mapping.
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From page 54... ...
The USGS should continually seek out opportunities for improved transfer of data and use of these data for emergency response by both individuals and governments. The USGS is the primary reliable source of real-time streamflow data to support flood forecasting by the National Weather Service and state and local emergency management agencies.
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From page 55... ...
, the local and regional emergency management agencies, and the news media. This evolving mode of real-time data distribution may require USGS's outreach efforts to include participation and leadership in training and preparedness exercises, in order to support and coordinate timely and accurate dissemination of critical realtime data during infrequent flood events.
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From page 56... ...
New nontraditional approaches to communicate probability concepts represent timely opportunities to improve risk communication in USGS outreach efforts for hydrologic hazards. Residual Risk In choosing the structural reliability of projects, as well as the degree of hazard reduction that is affordable, local interests and federal agencies need to fully appreciate the hydrologic hazard remaining after project construction.
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From page 57... ...
KEY OUTREACH ELEMENTS Successful outreach for hydrologic hazards must begin by identifying the audiences for outreach. The growing diversity of audiences for hazards outreach will require the USGS to carefully match the demands for hazards information to both the specific nature of the hydrologic risks and the expertise the agency has to offer.
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From page 58... ...
This effort matched USGS expertise to broad demands for hazard information about historical risks, from an unusually diverse outreach audience. Outreach in Louisiana Flood Warning With 20 percent of all flood insurance claims and over $200 million spent annually in flood damages, Louisiana leads the nation in property damage caused by floods.
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From page 59... ...
Used in conjunction with knowledge of historical flood limits and river forecasts disseminated by the NWS, this tool provides a simple method to help individuals interpret the consequences of forecasts and estimate the risks of flooding in the vicinity of gaged locations. This effort matched USGS expertise in river gaging and hydrologic data management to the needs of regional emergency management agencies.
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From page 60... ...
Coordination between the National Research Program and the district staff's direct customer contact will benefit from consistent incorporation of outreach efforts in project formulation, planning, and budgeting. The highly interdisciplinary nature of hydrologic hazards research and risk communication will require close integration of the divisional expertise that has evolved within the USGS, approaching outreach efforts as a single thread woven through the fabric of research and interpretive studies in hydrologic hazards.
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From page 61... ...
There are numerous ways to define the agency's outreach activities that would meet this broad objective, but a simple way to characterize the committee's recommendation as to what the outreach role of the USGS should be is that outreach efforts should help decision makers and the general population avoid being surprised. The contrasts between the two examples of successful and responsive outreach programs reviewed in the Louisiana HydroWatch program and the Cascade Volcano Outreach Project illustrate the essential elements common to effective outreach.
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From page 62... ...
In contrast, the Louisiana HydroWatch is a prime example illustrating the value and opportunities to substantially enhance outreach and hazard communication by closely coordinating USGS expertise with the complementary strengths and capabilities of both federal resource agencies like the National Weather Service and the Corps of Engineers, and local and regional resource management and emergency response agencies. These two outreach programs are not special cases: rather they are examples of effective outreach efforts, well matched to the audience, information needs, and resources, that have been effected through nontraditional activities.
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