Consequences That Matter: Community Insights from the Southwestern Puerto Rico Seismic Sequence (Interview Guide)

Semi-structured interview guide: Background Information 1. Could you please describe your position within your organization, the sector or industry where you are employed, and how earthquake risk is relevant to your role? 2. When you hear "earthquake in PR", what is the first thing that comes to your mind and why? Past experience with any natural hazards and understanding roles during a disaster 3. How has your community or region been affected in the past by seismic or other natural hazards? 4. How would you describe the strengths, capacity, and state of disaster response in PR? 5. Can you describe the role and expectations of governmental organizations in disaster response (emergency management, FEMA, etc.) as well as nongovernmental organizations? a. E.g., with managing donations and on-the-ground response or relief efforts? 6. How do you think past experiences with disasters in Puerto Rico have influenced the way Puerto Ricans prepare or perceive natural hazards? 7. Having already lived through several natural hazard events, if you had the opportunity to go back in time, what would you have done differently? As an individual person? And as a member of the organization? Backup: ● Has your home ever been affected in the past by seismic or other natural hazards? Could you share if people close to you, or friends went through this experience? Past earthquake Experience 8. Have you felt earthquakes in Puerto Rico? Which one has impacted you the most? 9. How has your agency/organization responded to past earthquakes, if applicable? a. Can you please describe major challenges you encountered/identified from responding to past earthquakes? b. Based on your experience, what would you say are your major consequences from a professional perspective compared to concerns of individuals who are not professionally involved with seismic hazard/risk/safety? 10. Can you share any stories or experiences of something that went well in the response or recovery to a past seismic event that stands out in your memory? Either personally or professionally. Backup: ● What were the vulnerabilities identified from this past event? (e.g., people don’t know how to be prepared for an earthquake, informal construction practices, miss beliefs about earthquakes, economic crisis to improve utility systems, etc.) ● On a Puerto Rico-wide basis, what were the consequences and impacts that mattered most to you, your organizing, and community that you were able to identify from past events? (e.g., injuries to people, economic losses, infrastructure damage, loss of homes, etc.) Understanding consequences that matter to stakeholders 11. Do you worry about your own safety because of earthquakes or other natural hazards in Puerto Rico? How so? 12. Picture a potential disaster due to a seismic event in PR. Can you describe the earthquake and impacts? 13. For a seismic event to be classified as a disaster, what kinds of consequences are you most concerned with? Why? What is a possible threshold within those categories? a. Impacts to particular geographical regions/municipalities b. Impacts to buildings (specific building types?) c. Impacts to critical infrastructure d. Impacts to the economy, education, etc. e. Impacts to mental health Earthquake Scenarios Disclaimer: For this purpose: An earthquake scenario represents one realization of a potential future earthquake by assuming a particular magnitude, location, and fault rupture... 14. Describe how earthquake scenarios are used in your organization. a. What types of scenarios does your organization carry out and for how long? b. If you have never been involved with the development, execution, or application of a scenario exercise, describe what things you would consider essential for its effectiveness. 15. Describe how earthquake scenarios in your organization are developed: who is involved, and at what stage(s)? 16. What challenges do you face in developing or conducting the scenario exercises? a. Does it aid in designing structures, emergency response, or other procedures? Is it integrated into a training program? b. After obtaining the earthquake scenario, what are the ways in which it is utilized? Is its use primarily internal or external? 17. If a strong seismic event were to occur in the future, what consequences would you be interested in knowing beforehand in order to exercise a better preparedness plan? What would be your biggest concerns knowing the status of PR in terms of its formal and informal practices, the robustness of certain utilities, etc.? Risk communication strategies 18. What sources of information on natural disasters and mitigation in your opinion generate more confidence when disseminating information and why? a. What education or information dissemination strategies on seismic events and mitigation would you recommend? Why do you think those strategies would be effective?