InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > Policy, natural hazards, disasters, and the emergency management cycle > Preparedness > Educating Public about Warning Systems
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.
Initial Publication Date: December 8, 2016

Educating Public about Warning Systems

Recall that one element of non-structural mitigation was developing a warning system. Building the warning system is important, but educating the public about the existence of the warning system, how it works, and how to react when it is activated are important components of preparation. In the parts of the United States most vulnerable to tsunami – that is, the coastal zones of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California – this primarily takes the form of evacuation planning. Anyone driving through low-lying coastal areas of these states is likely to notice tsunami hazard zone and tsunami evacuation route signs lining the roads. Tsunami warning sirens are also common throughout tsunami-exposed portions of the United States. Although tsunami warning systems minimize evacuation times, there are technical limitations to the amount of warning time available due to the difficulty of predicting seismic events and the potential for very short travel time of a tsunami caused by a near-shore earthquake.


These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »