| 1. |
How long has this
program been operational?
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Four years. |
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| 2. |
What are the major
purposes of this program? What
problem(s) or issue(s) was
it designed to address? |
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The intent of this outreach program is to heighten both
the awareness levels of earthquake
risk in the state of
Montana as well as educate the citizens of our great state.
It has
been several years since Montana has experienced
a significant earthquake; however, the
potential does
exist. With minimal resources, this program is designed to
efficiently and
effectively educate Montana’s citizens of
their high risk for earthquakes and prepare
them for the
next big event. Saving lives, reducing injury and
protecting our property is
the ultimate and achievable
goal of this program. Great strides have been made
through its
efforts. |
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| 3. |
Describe the specific
activities and operations of the
program. |
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This is not just a program, but an extravaganza! It
requires year-round planning and
coordination and results
in a full month of statewide participation involving media
hype,
distribution of thousands of publications and public appearances. Mirroring the concept of
Project Impact, the
cooperation and involvement of both public and private
enterprise are
making a vast impact on the State’s ability
to cope with a catastrophic earthquake. |
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Some Highlights: |
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- The Montana Power Company distributes earthquake preparedness information statewide in
their October
billing.
- The State DES office commits to distributing a
marketing insert into every piece of mail
that leaves
the office throughout the month of October.
- Over 14,000 state employees receive Earthquake
Preparedness information with their
October
paychecks.
- The City of Helena distributed over 8,500
informational inserts in their water bill.
- Both FEMA-provided and locally made PSA’s run
throughout the month.
- The Division newsletter includes earthquake
information all year long to keep the local
coordinators and emergency managers apprised of
what is happening in the earthquake
community.
Web sites, information, statistics, available programs
and training
opportunities provide them with the
knowledge they need to educate their communities.
- Local businesses participate by sponsoring ads,
providing employee training, displaying
and/or
promoting preparedness materials, or attending
community meetings which address
earthquake and
disaster preparedness.
- Child Care Partnerships, a non-profit organization,
regularly participates in this
campaign by providing
the earthquake preparedness fliers to registered
daycare providers
statewide.
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And, new this year… |
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A new flier has been created for 1999. Sporting the
new "Earthquakes Rock"
theme, this flier provides
not only critical earthquake preparedness information,
but
startling statistics as well.
Over 200,000 "Earthquakes Rock" bookmarks will be
distributed to schools and
libraries statewide.
A one-half hour TV program was filmed to promote
earthquake awareness in Montana. It
aired 111 times.
This year, the new bookmarks will be included with
the distribution made to Child Care
Partnerships for
their early distribution to registered daycares
statewide.
For their information and planning efforts, a series of
HAZUS analyses will be sent out
to all counties this
year. Infiltrating this technology during this high-
interest period
is the prime opportunity for counties
to educate the public using realistic scenarios. In
addition, it shows great promise for the future
success of HAZUS in Montana.
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There is a whole generation of individuals in Montana who
have never experienced a
significant earthquake in our
state. This program provides the opportunity to establish
a
routine and consistently remind them that Montana is at
risk and a devastating event could
happen at any time.
For those who do not remember how Montana rocked
many years ago, it is
a subtle reminder to adopt simple
habits that could save lives and protect property. |
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| 4. |
Does this program take
a new and creative approach or
method? If yes, please describe. |
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This program reaches such a wide array of people, not just
a pre-selected demographic
proportion. If you read the
paper, watch television, receive mail, shop at local stores,
go to school or just have children that do, you stand a
good chance of receiving some type
of information
regarding earthquakes. That’s impressive! Even more
impressive, the
total budget has never exceeded $5,000. |
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| 5. |
What were the program’s
start-up costs and source(s) of
funding? |
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$ <1000 Budget Source: Earthquake
program operating
budget |
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What are the program’s annual operational costs and source(s) of funding? |
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$ <5000 Budget Source: Earthquake program operating
budget |
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| 6. |
How many employees
(full-time equivalent) work(ed) with
this program? |
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1 FTE |
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| 7. |
To the best of your
knowledge, did this program originate
in your state?
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Yes |
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Are you aware of similar programs in other states?
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Yes |
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| 8. |
Has the program been
fully implemented? |
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Yes |
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| 9. |
Is there evidence that
the program has been effective in
achieving its stated purpose(s)? Briefly summarize
evaluations (pro and con) of how well the program has
addressed the defined problem(s) or issue(s). |
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The effects of this program can be positively measured by the continually increasing
participation and awareness levels
throughout the state, reinforced by the increase in
demand from the coordinators, the public and dedication of
the private sector. The only setback or limitations that can
be foreseen is the lack of resources. Despite the great
ideas and the proactive measures to implement them,
financial restraints may become a concern. Until that time,
the program continues to improve and provide the desired
results. |
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| 10. |
How has the program
changed since its inception? What
limitations or obstacles might other states expect to
encounter if they attempt to adopt this program? |
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This program continues to improve and the percentage of
participation increases
significantly each year! Although the
concept stays the same, new and creative ideas are
continually implemented. This program requires extensive
time and the ability to plan,
coordinate and proactively
work with others statewide to achieve desirable results.
There
are a few obstacles within this program, and
certainly nothing that any competent and
creative
manager couldn’t easily overcome. It is the perfect
opportunity to provide a
successful venture for any state
or organization dedicated to earthquake hazard reduction. |
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| 11. |
Additional comments: |
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Montana’s Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program is
relatively new but continues to
shine. In the short time
that it has existed, many accomplishments have promoted
it to
respectable levels. Designating October as
"Earthquake Preparedness Month" is
merely one of the
highly effective campaign efforts made by the state;
however, it has had
a significant impact on the public’s
overall level of awareness. In addition, the
State of
Montana is being recognized nationwide as an "Earthquake
State". With this expanding notoriety and ever-increasing
effectiveness, the efforts made by the State Earthquake
Program are making a difference. This is an important and
outstanding accomplishment that assures the best for
Montana. |
