NOW IT’S YOUR TURN . . . Write an Impact Statement for Your

Sea Grant Program

Linda J. BrewerSenior Faculty Research AssistantDepartment of HorticultureOregon State University

Impact Statements

• Justify the investment of public dollars.• The consequences of what we do;• Follows evaluation – data collection;• Environmental, social, economic;• Can be planned or unintended; positive or

negative;• Attribution vs. impact.

Parts of an Impact Statement

Part 1: Issue;Part 2: Goal or mission statement;Part 3: Outputs = What you did;Part 4: Outcomes = What changed;Part 5: Impact = Interpretation of

outcomes.

The Issue: First Sentence

• General Fact – generally accepted• Example: OSU research estimates a 37%

probability in the next 50 years of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake greater than M8 and tsunamis with inundation heights ranging locally from 10’ – 100’. That is greater than a 1:3 chance in the lifetime of a 20 year old.

The Issue: Second Sentence• Local fact - generally agreed upon about your state,

region, or county.• Example: The coastal communities of the Pacific

Northwest are not prepared for this event at a level commensurate with the known risk. Vulnerable populations vary based on season on the coast, but range from about 100,000 to 200,000 people--residents and visitors. Unfortunately, given our human nature and perception of risk, most people disregard the likelihood of the event.

The Issue: Third Sentence

• Focus of Concern for your program.• Example: When pressed, people report that

“even if it did occur in their lifetime there is nothing they can do to prepare for it. So why try?” No OSU Extension Service program has such a clear and urgent need--and for which we have ample current research on what to expect and how to prepare for it.

Program Mission or Goal

Statement of Goals: My goal is to create a tipping point of preparedness such that the local culture shifts from “not really expecting this in their lifetime” to “expecting this their lifetime—or certainly in their children’s lifetime,” and to align behavior with reality.

Write this first?Complete this sentence: – Our mission was to . . . – My goal in creating this program was to . . .

Outputs: What You Did

• I give presentations in conjunction with local events, and further engage people in workshops and other events that go into greater depth using maps and developing scenarios. I’ve been speaking to more professional associations. I tailor my curriculum to include how an earthquake and tsunami would impact their job-life and well as their personal life.

What You Did: Specific OutputsInterviews for a variety of media: newspaper, TV, radio,

podcast, blog, and Outside magazine.Participate in local activities that develop my reputation and

network of stakeholders. Cannon Beach: exploration of a vertical evacuation tower,

and now the effort to relocate the elementary school are examples of such activities on the north coast.

Newport: worked with HMSC staff and faculty to better prepare for a tsunami, to understand the vulnerability of the building, and to make the nearest high ground accessible for assembly.

More Specific OutputsCoos Bay: worked with USCG to include earthquake and

tsunami preparedness in their annual safety training. Integrating regional economics and rural development with

tsunami preparedness and expand my network to include more business and economic interests.

Developing an integrated vulnerability assessment tool that measures the economic impact of a tsunami on Clatsop County.

My key research question is “what can we do today to be more resilient to this inevitable disaster?”

Outcomes (from testimony)

• Impacts on public planning and policy.• Increase in public awareness of risk.• Increase in public preparedness to respond

to an event.

Statement of Impact• Potential for vertical evacuation tower to save

lives.• Potential for relocation of elementary school to

save lives.• Outputs from economic modeling to indicate

changes resulting from loss of experienced workforce, disruption of communications, transportation, and trade.

• Potential economic impacts, based on current importance of tourism to the regional economies.

Check Your Work• Review the Top Tips Handout• Glossary• CRIS Database Handout• Critically analyze what you put in the fields

in the SOARS template, keeping in mind the definitions of output, outcome, and impact.