ABSTRACT
The publicity that surrounded the Parkfield earthquake prediction exposed the public to information about the prediction, the characteristics of the predicted quake itself, the scientific experiments going on in the area, and what to do to get ready. A variety of communication channels were effective in informing the residents of Coalinga, Paso Robles, and Taft about the prediction. The public's perception of earthquake risk changed in a way that was almost identical for the citizens in each of the three communities studied. The residents of Coalinga, Paso Robles, and Taft remembered the Parkfield earthquake prediction. The public may have simply dichotomized the risk. People clearly were happy with the role of scientists in the Parkfield prediction and with the brochure that the Office of Emergency Services had mailed directly to their homes. The public needs to get the message from as many different sources and through as many different channels as possible.
