Risk Preparedness and Resilience Planning for Emergency Evacuations of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

OMB #: 1024-0224

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

PAPERWORK REDUCTION and PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: The Paperwork Reduction Act requires us to tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether or not you have to respond. We are authorized by the National Park Service Protection Interpretation and research in System (54 USC §100702) to collect this information. The routine uses of this information will be for the benefit of NPS Managers and Planning staff managers to understand behaviors and perceptions salient to emergency planning and evacuation along the McCarthy Road portion of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The data collected will be summarized to determine evacuation intention and model emergency evacuation behavior along the McCarthy Road portion of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Your responses to this collection are completely voluntary and will remain anonymous. You can end the process at any time and will not be penalized in any way for choosing to do so. All contact information collected for the purpose of the follow-up survey will be destroyed at the end of the collection period and no personal identifiable records will be maintained or stored for any purposes. Data collected will only be reported in aggregates and no individually identifiable responses will be reported. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

BURDEN ESTIMATE STATEMENT: Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 14 minutes per response. You may send comments concerning the burden estimates or any aspect of this information collection to: Jonathan Schafer, jonathan_shafer@nps.gov, (907) 379-0389.

Section Description: The focus of this study is to understand behaviors and perceptions salient to emergency planning and evacuation along the McCarthy, Kennicott, and Nizina Road Corridors of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve among visitors, residents, and property owners. The study area is loosely defined as a stretch of land along the McCarthy Road and beyond from Chitina, AK to Kennicott and the Nizina River, which will be referred to as the “McCarthy Road Corridor.” The data will be used to inform emergency response management, including investment in preventive infrastructure, the development of tools and models to make emergency evacuation safer, and other future management decisions about this area.

Your participation in the study is voluntary, and your answers will remain anonymous. Our results will be summarized so that the answers you provide cannot be associated with you or anyone in your group or household. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

TOPIC AREA 5: ACT11

1. Below is a list of site-specific activities in the McCarthy Road Corridor of Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Please indicate:

1. which one of these activities is your primary activity during your current visit

2. which of these activities have you participated in or do you anticipate participating in during your current visit

	(A) PRIMARY Activity (Check only one)	(B) ALL Activities Participated in or anticipate participating (Check all that apply)
Hiking		
Scenic driving		
Nature/wildlife observation		
Aquatic activities		
Aviation		
Biking		
Off-roading		
Federal subsistence hunting		
Hunting under state of Alaska regulations		
Fishing		
Backcountry camping		
Developed or vehicle camping		
Historic tours		
Nature tours		
Other Specify:_____________		

TOPIC AREA 2: DEST15

2. On this visit, did you or will visit the park on more than one day?

• YES

• NO

If YES, how many days did you/will you visit [NPS SITE]? Number of days

If NO, how many hours did you/will you visit [NPS SITE] on the day of your visit? Number of hours

TOPIC AREA 2: ACCOM2

3. On this trip, what type of accommodations are you using or expecting to use? (Check all that apply.)

• Lodge, hotel, motel, rented condo/home/cabin, or bed & breakfast

• RV/trailer camping

• Tent camping

• Campground, Commercial

• Campground, NPS

• Campground, non-NPS

• Backcountry camping

• Residence/property of friends or relatives

• Other accommodations (Please specify) ___________________________________

TOPIC AREA 4: TRANSMODE2

4. By what means did you most recently enter the McCarthy Road Corridor? (Check one.)

• Personal Highway Vehicle (car, truck, SUV)

• RV (including motorized or trailer)

• Motorcycle

• All-Terrain Vehicle or Off-Highway Vehicle

• Walking/Hiking

• Bicycle

• Electric Bicycle

• Shuttle or bus

• Watercraft

• Aircraft

• Other (please specify):________________

TOPIC AREA 2: ITIN7 (Variation: Modified question to remove questions on planned transportation methods and to mirror response options from “transmode2” for clarity and consistency.)

5. Which mode(s) of personal transportation are you using within the McCarthy Road Corridor during this visit? (Check all that apply.)

• Personal Highway Vehicle (car, truck, SUV)

• RV (including motorized or trailer)

• Motorcycle

• All-Terrain Vehicle or Off-Highway Vehicle

• Walking/Hiking

• Bicycle

• Electric Bicycle

• Shuttle or bus

• Watercraft

• Aircraft

• Other (please specify):______________

TOPIC AREA 3: DEST6 (See Supplement 1 (at survey end) for map)

6. For today only, please select all the locations that you visited in the McCarthy Road Corridor. (Check all that apply. Use the map on the next page to help you identify the locations you visited.)

• Zone A – Chitina to Kuskulana Bridge

• Zone B – Nugget Creek North

• Zone C – Kuskulana Bridge to Gilahina Trestle

• Zone D – Gillahina Trestle to Long Lake

• Zone E – Long Lake to South Fireweed

• Zone F – West McCarthy (Road & Mixed Commercial)

• Zone G – West McCarthy (Residential)

• Zone H – McCarthy

• Zone I – Fireweed Backcountry & Kennicott Glacier

• Zone J – Kennicott to McCarthy Airport

• Zone K – Jumbo Creek & Root Glacier

• Zone L – Mine Trails

• Zone M – McCarthy Creek to Nizina

• Other ______

TOPIC AREA 4: PARKING7 (Variation: Modified question to add management site, reduce the number of parking locations reported, and provide a response option for people arriving by guided aircraft who did not park; interactive map area corresponds to zones in Supplement 1)

7. If you arrived in a vehicle, where did you park most recently on this trip in the McCarthy Road Corridor?

• Use a map that will allow participants to place a pin on their parking location in the McCarthy Road Corridor; provide a response option “Not applicable”

TOPIC AREA 7: KNOW10 (Variation: Modified question to add management priority and increased number of response options retaining the same range to improve psychometric properties)

8. How knowledgeable are you on the topic of emergency evacuation planning?

Not at all Knowledgeable	Slightly Knowledgeable	Somewhat Knowledgeable	Very Knowledgeable	Extremely Knowledgeable
				

TOPIC AREA 7: MGMTOPT14 (Variation: Added items relevant to area-specific issues and management priority and increased number of response options retaining the same range to improve psychometric properties)

9. How much of a problem do you think the following issues are in the McCarthy Road Corridor?

		Not a Problem	Small Problem	Moderate Problem	Significant Problem	Big Problem	Don’t Know/ No Opinion
	Wildfires	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Building structural fires	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Flooding	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Mudslides	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Road or bridge washouts	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Medical services	1	2	3	4	5	DK
	Disaster response time	1	2	3	4	5	DK
Disaster response management		1	2	3	4	5	DK

TOPIC AREA 7: TRUST1

10. Do you trust Wrangell St. Elias National Park to manage the following?

	YES	NO	DON’T KNOW
Safety			
Building structural fires			
Motorized vehicle use			
Wildfires			
Coordinate disaster response with the State of Alaska			
Coordinate disaster response with volunteer emergency services			
Coordinating emergency medical services during a disaster			

TOPIC AREA 7: PREF2

11. Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t know
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park means a lot to me						
I am very attached to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park						
I feel no commitment to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park						
No other place can compare to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park						
I feel that I can really be myself at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park						
Few people know Wrangell-St. Elias National Park like I do						
I feel a sense of pride in my heritage when I am at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park						
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is a special place for my family.						

TOPIC AREA 11: SAFEPREP (New Question: This question will allow understanding of the amount of time it will take respondents to perform basic tasks common during an emergency evacuation)

12. If your group is together when you receive a mandatory evacuation order, how many minutes, would it take to…

	Would not do it	1-15	16-30	31-45	46-60	61 or more
pack the items you will need to take with you?						
protect your property from wildfire damage?						
secure your property (e.g., tent, trailer) and leave?						
pick up other people who are evacuating with you?						
stop to get other supplies?						

TOPIC AREA 6: USETECH4

13. Are you able to receive internet/WiFi/cellular service while in the McCarthy Road Corridor in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park at your lodging or accommodation?

• YES

• NO

TOPIC AREA 11: PERSAFE 12 (Variation: Minor change make the question phrasing comparable to residential population survey item by adding availability at accommodation or vehicle)

14. Select the items you are currently carrying or keep readily available in your accommodations or vehicle? Please mark all that apply.

• Communication Device (smart phone, radio, etc.)

• Paper Map

• Compass

• Electronic Map (e.g. Google maps, Apple maps, etc.)

• GPS Device

• Warm Clothing (In addition to what you’re wearing)

• Extra Food

• Extra Water

• Light Source (A headlamp or flashlight)

• Fire starters (Matches or Lighter)

TOPIC AREA 11: SAFPREP1

15. Prior to your visit, did you leave your travel plans (including your activities and expected return time) with a trusted person who knows what to do in case of an emergency?

• YES

• NO

TOPIC AREA 11: HAZARDEXP (New Question: This question will allow understanding the rates of prior natural hazard experience among respondents, which has been found to influence evacuation behavior)

16. Have you ever felt that your life safety was at risk from a natural hazard (e.g., wildfire, flood) at any point during your life?

• YES

• NO

→ If YES, what type of natural hazard? (Check all that apply.)

• Fire

• Flood

• Hurricane/Tsunami

• Heatwave

• Earthquake

• Other: _______

TOPIC AREA 4: PERSAFE15

17. Did you get safety information for this trip from any of the following sources? (Check all that apply.)

• A staff member at the Visitor Center

• Employee of a Park hotel, restaurant, store, bike/raft rental or shuttle bus

• Another visitor

• Friend or family member

• A guidebook

• The news media (television/radio/newspaper)

• Internet – NPS website

• Internet – Non-NPS website

• Other (please describe) ____________________________

• No new information

TOPIC AREA 11: PERSAFE15 (Variation: Minor change to make question about safety overall)

18. Prior to this visit, did you seek or obtain any information regarding safety at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park?

• YES

• NO

TOPIC AREA 11: SAW (New Question: This question will help management understand participation in opt-in communication systems among sample populations)

19. Have you enrolled in any mass notification systems (e.g., EverBridge) that communicate disaster information for the McCarthy Road Corridor?

• YES

• NO

TOPIC AREA 11: SAFEPREP (New Question: This question will allow understanding of the overall preparedness of the visitors in the McCarthy Road Corridor)

20. In case an immediate threat to your safety in the McCarthy Road Corridor requires you to evacuate, have you… (Check all that apply.)

• Identified reliable evacuation transportation methods (i.e., your own or other people’s vehicles)?

• Identified a destination community where you will evacuate outside the McCarthy Road Corridor?

• Planned accommodations where you can stay during refuge?

• Identified people outside of the corridor to contact with updates on your safety?

• Discussed where to reunite with your group if you are separated?

• Discussed emergency evacuation plans with your group?

• Written an emergency plan for your group?

• None of the above

TOPIC AREA 11: SAQ (New Question: This question will allow understanding of the worst-case fire scenario for the full sample and permit comparisons of responses between residents and tourists; interactive map area corresponds to zones in map at the end of the survey.)

21. Place a pin at the location where you believe a summer wildfire ignition would pose the greatest risk to the life-safety of the general population of the McCarthy Road Corridor.

• Use a map that will allow participants to place a pin on the disaster location in the McCarthy Road Corridor

Section Description: For the next five questions, imagine the following scenario: A forest fire has flared up one-mile up wind from your current location. Local officials believe that they will be unable to prevent the fire from spreading into nearby buildings, parking lots, and recreation areas.

These questions will ask about your group, however, if you are visiting alone answer these questions about yourself.

TOPIC AREA 11: PERSAFE (New Question: This question will allow understanding the type of information that emergency managers will need to communicate and share to facilitate emergency evacuation)

22. What information would you need to make a decision on whether or not to seek refuge during this scenario? Please select all that apply.

• Reports of the fire’s severity

• Reports of the fire’s proximity

• Seeing approaching flames

• Experiencing heavy smoke that causes breathing difficulty

• Experiencing loss of basic services (e.g., water, electric power, telecommunications)

• Seeing other groups evacuating

• Distance to safe refuge locations

• The services at safe refuge locations, such as their ability to accommodate pets or people with medical conditions

• Other_________________________________________________________________________

• None of these types of information

TOPIC AREA 3: INFOSOURCE7 (Variation: Specified wording to focus on info sources relevant to study purpose.)

23. a. From which information sources would you prefer to receive information about the wildfire the McCarthy Road Corridor? Please rank each option from most preferred (=1) to least preferred (=7).

• National Park Service authorities

• Federal authorities who are not affiliated with the National Park Service (e.g., FEMA)

• State authorities (e.g., state troopers, firefighters)

• Local emergency services (e.g., volunteer for the fire department, volunteer emergency medical services)

• Employee of a visitor services company (e.g., hotel, bar, restaurant, or guiding company)

• Friend or family members

• Visitors or tourists

b. Through which information channels would you prefer to receive information about the wildfire in the McCarthy Road Corridor? Please rank each option from most preferred (=1) to least preferred (=10).

• Phone call

• Face-to-face

• Sirens or alarms

• Email

• Text message or messaging applications

• Emergency services phone alert

• Social media

• Environmental cues (e.g., smoke or flames)

• Television or Radio

• Social cues (e.g., people evacuating

TOPIC AREA 11: PERSAFE (New Question: This question will allow understanding of the evacuation intention of people within the McCarthy Road Corridor to improve management and outreach)

24. Upon learning that the fire poses a significant threat to life safety and your property (e.g., car, RV, or other personal items), which of the following actions would you take? (Check one.)

• I will try to protect my property throughout the fire, taking shelter in my property or my accommodations if necessary.

• I will do as much as possible to protect my property but leave my property or accommodations if I think the fire has become too dangerous.

• I will do as much as possible to protect my property but leave if I receive an evacuation order from authorities (e.g., state troopers, fire or other emergency services).

• I will first protect my property and group but then leave to help with the emergency response.

• I will immediately evacuate my property or accommodation and help with the emergency response

• I will immediately evacuate to a safe refuge location as soon as I see that there is a dangerous fire without attempting to defend my property or accommodations.

• Other (please specify) _____________

TOPIC AREA 11: PERSAFE (New Question: This question will allow understanding where people plan to evacuate; interactive map area corresponds to zones in Supplement 1)

25. If your group is together, where would you seek temporary safe refuge from the fire?

• Use a map that will allow participants to place a pin on their evacuation location in the McCarthy Road Corridor

TOPIC AREA 1: Group 4

26. How many people are in your group, including you? ____ People

TOPIC AREA 1: LANG3

27. Which language do you and members of your personal group primarily use to communicate with each other?

• English

• Other (Specify) ______________

TOPIC AREA 1: Group 6

28. Does anyone in your personal group (including yourself) have any physical conditions that would make it difficult to receive, understand, or respond to an official evacuation warning?

• NO

• YES

→ If YES, which physical condition are those? (Check all that apply.)

• Hearing

• Visual

• Cognitive

• Mobility

• Other (Please specify)

TOPIC AREA 1: Group 1

29. Please select the choices below that best describe your traveling party . (Please select all that apply)

• Individual

• Family only

• Friends/roommates only

• Family plus friends

• Tour or group

• Preschoolers (less than 5 years old)

• Teenagers (12-19)

• Adults (20-64)

• Seniors over 65

• With pets

TOPIC AREA 2: CVIS1

30. Are you a first-time visitor to Wrangell St. Elias National Park?

• YES

• NO

TOPIC AREA 1: RES2

31. Are you a permanent resident or citizen of the United States?

• NO - What is your country of origin? _______________________

• YES - What is your zip code? _____________

TOPIC AREA 1: AGE 1

32. In what year were you born? ________

TOPIC AREA 1: EDUC 1

33. What is the highest level of formal education you have completed? (Select one.)

• Some high school

• High school graduate or GED

• Some college, business or trade school

• College, business or trade school graduate

• Some graduate school

• Master’s degree

• Doctoral or professional degree

TOPIC AREA 1: Gend 1

34. What is your gender? Please select one.

• Male

• Female

• Transgender, non-binary, or another gender

• Prefer not to answer

TOPIC AREA 9: ECON9

35. Which category best represents your annual household income? Please select  only one.

• Less than $25,000

• $25,000 to $34,999

• $35,000 to $49,999

• $50,000 to $74,999

• $75,000 to $99,999

• $100,000 to $149,999

• $150,000 to $199,999

• $200,000 or more

TOPIC AREA 10: STAKE5

36. In your opinion, what do you think is the ideal role for the NPS to play in serving the public and surrounding communities in the context of emergency management?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Supplement 1. Map of Zones Along McCarthy Road Corridor