Contact: Rebekah Green, Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, (360) 650-2707.

BELLINGHAM – The Resilience Institute at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, in collaboration with Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, is conducting a risk-awareness study of an emergency preparedness campaign in selected neighborhoods in Snohomish County.

Expanding on the successful Snohomish County “Who Depends On You? Are you prepared for a Disaster?” (WDOY) preparedness campaign, the institute will administer two surveys to three different residential neighborhoods in Sultan, Everett and on the Tulalip Reservation. 

The initial survey will give insight on the most effective ways of disseminating  emergency-preparedness information to these communities. Emergency-management officials will use the results of the survey to expand their preparedness message to communities at-risk to disaster. After the dissemination process, the institute will go back to the selected neighborhoods and conduct an additional survey to determine the effectiveness of the new awareness methods.

The WDOY program was designed by Mary Schoenfeldt, Public Education Coordinator for the Everett Office of Emergency Management, as a way to promote emergency preparedness.

The goal of WDOY is to help ensure that hazard events don’t become personal disasters; Schoenfeldt said people are generally educated about emergency preparedness and have a good sense of what they need to do but need a nudge to set them into action. Despite WDOY’s widening use, it has never been tested to determine its effectiveness in reaching out to various communities.

The goal of The Resilience Institute’s study is to provide an assessment that will help the campaign expand its message outreach program. The Resilience Institute will coordinate with the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management in the study, and Western students will have the opportunity to assist in conducting the surveys. 

Riley Grant, a WWU graduate, and CJ Huxford, a senior in Environmental Studies, will coordinate the project. Rebekah Green, associate director of The Resilience Institute, will be the project’s advisor.  The Resilience Institute seeks to create and disseminate practical knowledge and tools that promote resilience human and ecological communities in the context of natural hazard risk. For further information about the Institute and its work, please visit www.wwu.edu/resilience. 

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and is a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world.  This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique, and the College continues to earn international recognition for the quality of its programs.

printer friendly