The Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) released a new comic book titled, “Without Warning,” this week aimed at teaching earthquake preparedness to teenagers. The comic book is the result of collaboration between the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW), OEM, and Dark Horse Comics.
“Most public education publications are not interesting to kids,” said OEM’s Althea Rizzo, the Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator. “This comic book allows us to reach a new audience not often targeted in preparedness materials.”
“Without Warning” is a story about a girl who lives on the Oregon Coast and is trying to reunite with her family after a major Cascadia Earthquake. It is a 12-page, full-color comic book addressing what can happen in the aftermath of major earthquake and tsunami.
Oregon is located near the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 600-hundred mile earthquake fault stretching from offshore Northern California to Southern British Columbia. Experts predict a large 9.0 or higher earthquake could strike Oregon in the near future.
“We know the risk is there, making our job of spreading the message of preparedness that much more important,” Rizzo added. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to partner with Dark Horse.”
Dark Horse Comics is an Oregon-based company widely considered one of the top comic publishers with more than 20 feature films spawning from various series the company has produced.
“Without Warning” is available for free download on mobile devices here.
Printed copies are available through the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. For more information contact Althea Rizzo at OEM at 503-378-2911 ext. 22237.
