Scoping the potential for earthquake early warning in Aotearoa New Zealand: A sectoral analysis of perceived benefits and challenges
In this study, the authors investigated the perspectives of various sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand on Earthquake Early Warning (EEW). The authors used focus groups and interviews with multiple sectors, including but not limited to utilities, infrastructure, emergency management, health and education. They found that participants generally supported the idea of EEW.
Participants perceived EEW to provide benefits to:
- life-safety and health & safety (i.e. death and injury);
- psychological preparedness;
- activation of emergency plans and situational assessment; and
- organisational and site-specific actions to reduce impacts and aid response and recovery.
Furthermore, the research also showed that despite support from the sectors, there are challenges in introducing and applying EEW. Participants acknowledged challenges that need to be addressed, such as:
- users' confidence in the EEW system;
- the threshold and delivery for sending warnings; and
- the content and comprehension of an EEW message that would result in people taking appropriate or inappropriate action.