Seismic Risk Mitigation Decisions at Ports: Multiple Challenges, Multiple Perspectives

Abstract

This paper examines opportunities for seismic risk mitigation decisions at U.S. maritime ports, with special reference to the role of stakeholders and the quality of the decision-making processes used to inform seismic risk initiatives. The authors first present an overview of some of the major issues faced by port managers in thinking about how to respond to a potential earthquake event. Next, a representative decision-aiding process that may assist managers in developing a defensible seismic risk-management strategy is discussed. With this context in mind, the authors review their experience at a case-study port that faces the possibility of a large earthquake and note—despite some recent progress in developing emergency response plans—the relatively low level of both port preparation for potential earthquakes and stakeholder participation in risk mitigation planning. It is concluded that increased attention to the quality of stakeholder input is likely to improve port seismic risk-management decision processes. In a final section, several recommendations for ways to enhance the involvement of key port stakeholders and, in turn, the likely effectiveness of seismic risk-management choices are provided.