A new white paper by researchers Catrin Edgeley and Melanie Colavito titled, Local Experiences with the 2019 Museum Fire and Associated Flood Risk: A Survey of Flagstaff-Area Residents, details results from a survey administered to better understand how residents experienced the 2019 Museum Fire in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The survey aimed to capture resident experiences during the fire, communication about fire and post-fire flood risks, their understanding of the Ready, Set, Go! evacuation system, and perceptions of forest management.
Overall, respondents in the Flagstaff area demonstrated a high level of understanding of fire ecology, acceptance of forest management activities, and willingness to pay for future forest restoration and flood risk reduction projects.
The authors also developed a set of management recommendations for incident management teams, emergency managers, and local officials focused on: 1) communication during fire; 2) using the Ready, Set, Go! evacuation system; 3) addressing post-fire flood risk; and 4) future forest and fire management.
