Orchestrating Consensus: Standardizing Public Sector Earthquake Information Resources via a New Web Portal
America G. Lopez, Edward Salcido, & Mark BenthienSubmitted September 7, 2025, SCEC Contribution #14890, 2025 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #TBD
Effective communication of earthquake science and safety by city and county emergency services and agency partners is crucial for earthquake preparedness. Yet, information on their current preparedness websites is often inconsistent and fragmented throughout California. As a result, it is difficult for the public to find reliable guidance. To address this, the project is developing a web portal that interlinks trusted resources and aligns messaging among local OES agencies and their city and county partners, including fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and public health organizations. The focus is on making earthquake preparedness information clearer and more actionable for the public. Guided by the “Communicating Actionable Risk” framework (Wood et al., 2012), the project emphasizes reaching consensus through consistent messaging delivered in various forms and formats. A unified repository was created to identify and reduce messaging gaps across over 600 agencies, including sheriffs’ offices, Cal Fire, local OES, and health departments. This approach aims to strengthen and highlight coordination, build public trust, and empower Californians with timely, clear, and actionable earthquake safety information to prepare for increasing seismic threats and risks.
Key Words
emergency preparedness, communication, messaging, safety guidance, web portal development, information systems
Citation
Lopez, A. G., Salcido, E., & Benthien, M. (2025, 09). Orchestrating Consensus: Standardizing Public Sector Earthquake Information Resources via a New Web Portal. Poster Presentation at 2025 SCEC Annual Meeting.
Related Projects & Working Groups
Community Capability Building (CCB)
