When Brigham Young University professor Ron Harris did geological research in Indonesia in the mid-1990s, he found that the Sumatran Fault was due for a 8.0 or higher quake, which may lead to a tsunami. The research was published and sent to scientists and government officials, but a government short on resources did little to prepare. In December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude struck the area, eventually killing more than 200,000 people.

Harris said he wished he could have done more to warn the people. There is often a large disconnect between scientists and the people their research affects.

Now, Harris has set up a nonprofit organization, In Harm's Way, to bridge that gap. The In Harm's Way fund is focused on preventing tragedy through education. Harris said it is important to know what areas are prone to hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes and tornadoes and prepare for the disaster ahead of time. And he doesn't have to look very far for a potential disaster area.

"We're overdue for a large earthquake along the Wasatch Front," he said.

Harris said scientists can predict an area due for an earthquake by assessing whether earthquakes have occurred there in the past, how large they were and how often they occur. The Salt Lake City area hasn't had a major quake in 1,350 years -- but history shows it averages one every 1,200 years.

Although Utah has not had a large earthquake in recent history, Harris said it is not hard to convince people one may be coming. It is, however, difficult to persuade them to do anything. Much of Utah has ignored the problem, despite the fact that Utah schools have not all been retrofitted to withstand an earthquake. Harris said any school built before the 1990s was not built according to seismic code.

"That means that 70 percent of schools along the Wasatch Front are vulnerable," he said.

That equals about 30,000 kids in Utah County alone.

While not all schools have been remodelled to comply with seismic safety, Harris said BYU and Provo School District have made steps to make schools safer. The Knight Mangum Building and Deseret Towers at BYU have been demolished, and Provo has evaluated and torn down some of the most susceptible schools.

"The people of Provo voted yes on the referendum to protect the children in the schools," he said.

Harris said the main focus of the foundation is education, both in the United States and abroad. Overseas, Asia is a major focus because 90 percent of casualties from natural disasters happen there. Harris said education saved many people in one town during the 2004 tsunami because an English schoolgirl recognized the warning signs of a tsunami and warned the people. She had learned about tsunamis in school, and when she saw the water drawing far back from the beach, she and her parents warned others. Harris said she put her knowledge to use, which the foundation hopes will happen to locals with education.

"She saved over 100 lives just because she knew what was going on," he said.

If the people of Sumatra had known the warning signs, more could have been saved. Harris said he wishes he had gone from village to village warning people of the possible quake. He said he wants the foundation to teach locals how to protect themselves from tsunamis by moving to higher ground and re-vegetating the coastline.

Re-vegetating with large plants and trees can build a barrier from the large waves, and it costs little money. Large palm trees can help keep debris from the land from being swept into the water, and they can be an added buffer.

Harris said some of the In Harm's Way funds are dedicated to sending students to college, about $500 each per year. Just $5 can fund an entire class for the student. In order to get the tuition for the next year, the student needs to spend time developing disaster mitigation in a village. Harris said educating people who live in harm's way can help them teach other people in their country how to prepare for a disaster.

"The reason that's the focus is because that's the only way it'll work," he said.

Suzie Kramer, an intern for Harris, said she believes the foundation provides an important cost-effective way to prepare those who are in danger of a natural disaster. The $500 needed for a year of school equals about a month of her own schooling at BYU, she said.

Kramer said an important goal of the foundation is educating residents in other countries about how to make their buildings safer in the event of a disaster.

"We're not going in there building buildings, we're teaching them how to build buildings," she said.

The theory is already in practice in Nepal, where local experts not associated with the foundation are teaching masons how to build seismically safe schools. Harris said the methods do not cost more, they just take more education.

"That's one thing we're trying to support more," he said.

The In Harm's Way foundation is still new and is working under the Mann Family Foundation, said president Steve Mann. The Mann Family Foundation benefits family history efforts, but it also supports several smaller foundations with various causes. In Harm's Way is still working to fund its own 501(c)3 designation, but Mann said he supports the work and hopes money will be raised to support education in other countries.

"We're hopeful," he said. "It's a good cause."

In the United States, the foundation is focusing mainly on preparing Utah for an earthquake. Harris said he feels the state has been largely apathetic when dealing with the earthquake danger, and he believes the state needs to take more responsibility in protecting schools.

"We think it's probably the least prepared for an earthquake in the U.S.," he said.

Harris said he has done 50 seminars so far for various groups on how communities and individual residents can prepare. Homeowners can take precautions such as securing gas appliances and water heaters to prevent fires. Communities need to be prepared with a disaster plan so they don't have to rely on the government to clean up or prepare for a disaster.

Harris said preparation can save thousands of lives, which can be seen in the disparity between disasters in the United States and in other countries. A disaster in China or India can kill 40,000, while a similar one in California would kill 100.

"I know it makes a difference, especially if it's your child that's in that school."

For more information, visit www.utahearthquake.org or www.inharmswayprevention.org.