The MHDP Strategy
The Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) has a mission to improve resiliency to natural disasters by applying science to community decision-making and emergency response. MHDP methods include focusing new and existing research toward the community’s needs, improving monitoring technology, producing innovative products, and improving communication of results.
Multi-disciplinary collaborations have proved successful in many fields and the MHDP extends this powerful model. MHDP projects are developed to unite a broad range of disciplines, to engage basic and applied researchers, to expand capabilities through partnerships, and to share knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and the public. Most significantly, end users actively participate in setting the MHDP project agenda.
The ShakeOut Scenario was developed after workshops and discussions with local governments, community leaders, emergency responders, mitigation specialists, and other constituents. The publication of the ShakeOut Scenario Open-File Report in May, 2008, opened a six month period of public response, and launched a separate, regional preparedness campaign, The Great Southern California ShakeOut. Concurrently, specialized and localized additional studies related to the Scenario are being conducted, again based on needs of end users. Final publications of the Scenario will include all these efforts.
As the ShakeOut Scenario concludes, MHDP begins development of a winter storm scenario, again starting the process with input from a broad range of constituents, participants, and partners.
