Avoiding Disaster: Assuring Warning Compliance

Using dam failure case studies, this presentation provides guidance on what needs to be done to assure that people will respond appropriately in the event of a dam failure. During the 1970’s, several lethal dam failures occurred in the United States: Buffalo Creek Coal Waste Dam, Canyon Lake Dam, Teton Dam, Laurel Run Dam and Kelly Barnes Dam. These failures led to the realization that emergency preparedness was deficient and by the end of the decade guidelines calling for the preparation of emergency action plans and dam failure inundation maps had been developed. The availability of emergency action plans does not guarantee that warnings will be issued. The issuance of warnings does not guarantee that people will move out of harms way. Approximately 50 reasons why people may not evacuate have been identified. These reasons are related to the warning message, people’s interpretation of the message, and problems in reaching a safe destination. Suggestions for improving emergency action planning and warning compliance will be given. These will include: Making better use of inundation maps and studies. We need to know more than that “low lying areas” will be flooded.
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Providing a means for people to confirm that the danger is real and that evacuation is needed. Many people will not evacuate until they receive this confirmation
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Using every available method to disseminate the warning messages.
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Improving warning message content. 11 pp., 1 table, 9 references.