Jeanne M. Jones Seth Spielman Mathew C. Schmidtlein Nathan J. Wood 2015 <p><span>Many coastal communities throughout the world are threatened by local (or near-field) tsunamis that could inundate low-lying areas in a matter of minutes after generation. Although the hazard and sustainability literature often frames vulnerability conceptually as a multidimensional issue involving exposure, sensitivity, and resilience to a hazard, assessments often focus on one element or do not recognize the hazard context. We introduce an analytical framework for describing variations in population vulnerability to tsunami hazards that integrates (</span><i>i</i><span>) geospatial approaches to identify the number and characteristics of people in hazard zones, (</span><i>ii</i><span>) anisotropic path distance models to estimate evacuation travel times to safety, and (</span><i>iii</i><span>) cluster analysis to classify communities with similar vulnerability. We demonstrate this approach by classifying 49 incorporated cities, 7 tribal reservations, and 17 counties from northern California to northern Washington that are directly threatened by tsunami waves associated with a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. Results suggest three primary community groups: (</span><i>i</i><span>) relatively low numbers of exposed populations with varied demographic sensitivities, (</span><i>ii</i><span>) high numbers of exposed populations but sufficient time to evacuate before wave arrival, and (</span><i>iii</i><span>) moderate numbers of exposed populations but insufficient time to evacuate. Results can be used to enhance general hazard-awareness efforts with targeted interventions, such as education and outreach tailored to local demographics, evacuation training, and/or vertical evacuation refuges.</span></p> application/pdf 10.1073/pnas.1420309112 en National Academy of Sciences Community clusters of tsunami vulnerability in the US Pacific Northwest article