In the book, Jones chronicles some of the world's greatest natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, and how analyzes how people have responded to them in order to understand how future crises can be survived. Jones is currently in residence at the University of Oregon's Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics as the Wayne Morse Chair, where she provides public talks on disaster preparedness and science communication. Since 1986, Jones has given many interviews to the press on behalf of the US Geological Survey following significant earthquakes in southern California. In many media appearances, she worked together with fellow Caltech seismologist, Kate Hutton. In a 2004 profile of Jones, Tom Jordan of the USGS was quoted as saying, "Lucy provides Southern California — and the nation — with a very calming voice and an authoritative voice to the public's inquiry in disaster." He also said that her high public profile may make her "one of the most effective chairs of CSSC ever". Public perception of Jones as a voice of calm and reassurance has been attributed, in part, to an incident following the 1992 Joshua Tree earthquake in which she answered press questions while holding her sleeping child in her arms. In a 2011 interview, Jones denied the story that she asked the press to be quiet so as not to wake her son. She also expressed some regret that she became a symbol that "women can have it all". In 2015, Jones was embedded at Los Angeles City Hall, a move by the USGS that Caltech's Tom Heaton credited with the September passage of a retrofitting plan that would increase seismic survivability of over 15,000 structures largely built of non-ductile concrete. In light of her reputation as a respected and trusted authority on earthquakes, Jones has been called upon for her comments regarding other natural disasters and crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Jones, in a crisis, the public is best served when they are given "one clear message" to minimize the possibility of overwhelming or confusing people. And for the COVID-19 pandemic, that message, says Jones, is "[d]on't share your air" by wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance. Jones has received many awards from scientific and governmental organizations throughout her career, including the Alquist Award from the California Earthquake Safety Foundation, the Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievements in Science Communication from the USGS, the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal from the Partnership for Public Service in 2015, and the Seismological Society of America's Frank Press Public Service Award in 2018.