Katrina One Year Later: Still Not Prepared

August 11, 2006

Katrina One Year Later: Still Not Prepared

By Mark Schulman

As the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, and almost five years after the 9.11 terrorist attack, Americans are split on whether the United States is now better prepared to cope with a major disaster according to a new Time poll conducted August 9-10. The poll finds that most Americans fall far short in preparing for emergencies.

About half (50%) of Americans think the US is better prepared to cope with major disasters since Hurricane Katrina, while a similar number (46%) do not believe the US is better prepared.

Those living in Gulf Coast states are slightly more optimistic, with a little more than half (56%) thinking the US is better prepared vs. 38% saying the US is not better prepared since Katrina.

How Prepared Are You and Your Community?
Only a little less than one-in-five (16%) say they are personally "very well" prepared should a natural disaster or public emergency strike their community. About half (49%) say they are "somewhat" prepared and about one-third (34%) say they are either "not very" prepared (21%) or "not at all" prepared (13%) for an emergency.

Residents of Gulf Coast states report only slightly higher levels of personal preparedness for an emergency. About one-quarter (24%) say they are "very well" prepared, with about half (52%) being "somewhat" prepared. One quarter (24%) say they are not well prepared for a natural disaster or public emergency.

In General, How Well Prepared Would You Be Personally If Such An Emergency Struck Your
Community Today?

	Total (%)	Gulf Coast States (%)	Northeast (%)	Midwest (%)	South (%)	West (%)

Very Well Prepared	16	24	11	14	18	20

Somewhat Prepared	49	52	52	48	51	45

Not Very Prepared	21	11	22	25	16	22

Not Prepared at all	13	13	13	12	15	12

Reasons for Lack of Personal Preparedness
Among those who say they are not very well prepared for a public emergency, about half (49%) cite not living in high risk areas as the main reason for not preparing fully. Other reasons cited include not knowing what to do to prepare (39%); not believing any amount of preparedness would help (32%) and not having the time to prepare (27%).

A little more than 2-in-5 (43%) Gulf Coast state residents mention not living in a high risk area for natural disasters or terrorist attacks as the main reason for not being fully prepared for any emergency. About one-third each mention not knowing what to do to prepare (34%), not having time to prepare (34%) and not believing any amount of preparedness would help (32%).

Which Of The Following Explains Why You Have Not Fully Prepared For An Emergency In
Your Community?
BASE: Somewhat/Not Very/Not At All Prepared For Emergency

	Total (%)	Gulf Coast States (%)	Northeast (%)	Midwest (%)	South (%)	West (%)

You Don't Live in an Area at Risk	49	43	53	53	47	46

You Don'tKnow What to Do	39	34	44	42	40	32

You Don't Believe Preparing Would Help	32	32	32	28	33	36

You Don't Have Time	27	34	26	22	31	25

Americans do not believe their communities are any more prepared for an emergency than they are personally.

A little more than one-in-ten (13%) think their community is very well prepared for an emergency, with about half (48%) thinking their community is only "somewhat" prepared. A little more than one-third (37%) think their community is not well prepared for an emergency.

Again residents of Gulf Coast states have slightly more faith in the preparedness of their communities with about one-quarter (24%) believing their community is "very well" prepared and half (50%) believing their community is "somewhat" prepared. Almost one-quarter (23%) of Gulf Coast state residents believe their community is not well prepared for an emergency.

Low Awareness of Community Emergency/Disaster Plans
About half (50%) of Americans don't know if their local government has an emergency or disaster plan for their community. A little more than 2-in-5 (42%) say their local government does have a plan for their community and 9% say their local government does not have such a plan

Awareness of community emergency plans is higher among residents in Gulf Coast states (35% report not knowing vs. 50% total).

Most Americans Fall Short in Emergency Preparedness
Huge gaps exist in Americans' preparedness for emergencies. Taking a CPR or First Aid training course is the most commonly mentioned emergency preparation action (66% have done). Preparing a home disaster supply kit with emergency supplies such as water, food and medicine is the second most common (46%). Other actions include:

Practicing or drilling "what to do in an emergency" at home (33% have done);

Making specific plans for how you and your family will communicate if separated in an emergency (31%);

Buying additional insurance to protect you or your home from disaster (31%);

Making physical changes to your home to protect against weather and other threats (29%);

Establishing a specific meeting place to reunite with family if home is evacuated (28%);

Volunteering to help prepare or respond to a major emergency (22%).

Not surprisingly, residents in Gulf Coast states and those living in the South and Western part of the US are more likely to have taken specific action to prepare for a potential emergency.

Have You Actually Done This, To Prepare for an Emergency?

summary of 'have done'	Total (%)	Gulf Coast States (%)	Northeast (%)	Midwest (%)	South (%)	West (%)

Taken First Aid Training	66	62	55	70	65	74

Prepared a Disaster Supply Kit	46	64	36	40	53	51

Practiced What to Do in an Emergency	33	40	26	31	37	35

Made a Plan for how you and your Family Would Communicate if Separated	31	38	28	28	32	36

Bough Additional Insurance to Protect You or Your Property	31	37	24	31	32	34

Made Physical Changes to Your Home to Protect It	29	38	22	24	33	31

Established a Meeting Place to Reunite	28	34	29	25	26	31

Volunteered to Help Prepare for or Respond to an Emergency	22	35	17	19	28	21

Emergency Items in the Home
Most Americans report having at least some basic emergency items in their homes.

Virtually all (98%) have a flashlight. A little more than 4-in-5 have extra batteries (84%), at least a 3 day supply of canned food for each person (83%), a first aid kit (83%) and at least a 3 day supply of medicine for those who need it (82%).

Slightly less have a battery operated or hand-cranked radio (73%) or at least a 3 day supply of bottled water (66%).

Katrina's Effect on Emergency Planning
Only a little more than one-in-ten (13%) say that Hurricane Katrina motivated them "a great deal" to prepare for an emergency. A similar amount (17%), attribute "some" of their emergency preparation to Katrina. A little more than half (55%) say Katrina has "not much" (11%) or not at all (44%) been a factor in their preparedness. About 15% have done nothing to prepare for an emergency.

Residents of Gulf Coast states are more likely to attribute their emergency preparations to Hurricane Katrina. Three-in-ten (30%) say a "great deal" of their preparation is the result of Katrina (30% Gulf Coast vs. 13% Total).

Government at all Levels Has Negative Approval Ratings with Regard to Katrina Recovery
More than half disapprove of the job that federal and local governments have done to help in the recovery from Katrina. Interestingly, those in the Gulf Coast states who were most deeply affected, show greater approval for the job government at all levels has done:

Approval for state and local officials in the states hardest hit by the Hurricane is 35% approve - 52% disapprove. Among Gulf Coast state residents approval is slightly higher at 43% approve - 51% disapprove.

Approval for President Bush in handling the recovery effort is 35% approve - 57% disapprove. Among Gulf Coast state residents the President enjoys a more split 48% approve - 45% disapprove.

Approval for the job Congress has done with regard to the recovery is 32% approve - 56% disapprove. Again, approval is higher among the Gulf Coast (43% approve - 48%).

FEMA has the lowest approval rating at 28% approve - 62% disapprove. This improves slightly among the Gulf Coast (37% approve - 57% disapprove).

Do You Approve of the Job That The Following Have Done To Help In The Recovery From Katrina?

*summary of 'approve'*	Total (%)	Gulf Coast States (%)

State and Local Officials in the States Hardest Hit by Katrina	35	43

President Bush	35	48

Congress	32	43

Federal Agencies, Such as FEMA	28	37

Shaky Confidence in the Government's Ability to Handle a Disaster, Gulf Coast More Confident
Less than one-in-five have a "great deal" of confidence that:

President Bush (17%),

Federal agencies such as FEMA (13%),

State and local officials in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina (13%), or

Congress (10%), could handle a major disaster.

Again, Gulf Coast state residents have greater confidence that the government at all levels could handle a major disaster.

How Much Confidence Do You Have in the Following to Handle a Major Disaster?

*summary of 'a great deal'*	Total (%)	Gulf Coast States (%)

President Bush	17	28

Federal Agencies, Such as FEMA	13	21

State and local officials in states hardest hit by Katrina	13	18

Congress	10	17

Many Say New Orleans Should Not Be Rebuilt If It Could Flood Again
Regardless of geography, about one-third (32%) think the areas of New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina should be rebuilt with a better levee system under any circumstances, even if the areas could flood again. A little more than half (56%) do not think the areas should be rebuilt. About 12% are not sure about rebuilding.

Likelihood of an Emergency in Your Community
About 2-in-3 (64%) think a natural emergency such as a hurricane or tornado is likely to hit their community in the next five years (this number is higher for Gulf Coast state residents, 84%). Less believe in the next five years their community will face a,

Naturally occurring health emergency such as bird flu (43% say likely)

Terrorist bombing or attack (22%)

Health emergency caused by terrorists such as anthrax (19%).

Have You or Your Community Personally Experienced a Natural Disaster or Public Emergency?
About half (46%) say they have personally experienced a natural disaster or public emergency, with a little more than half (54%) having not. Similarly, about half (48%) say their community has experienced such an event, with 50% saying their community has not.

Those who live in Gulf Coast states are obviously more likely to have personally experienced a natural disaster or public emergency (64%) as is their community (60%).

About Half Would "Definitely" Evacuate if Ordered To
If ordered by their mayor or governor to evacuate their home because of a natural disaster, about half (50%) say they would definitely evacuate with a little more than one-third (36%) saying they would "probably" evacuate. About 13% would likely not evacuate.

Those living in Gulf Coast states are only slightly more likely to say they would definitely evacuate if ordered to (55%).

Among those who would not definitely evacuate if ordered to, a wide variety of reasons were given. Some include the desire to protect their home (29%), the need to care for others in the home (21%), lack of trust in the government (17%), not knowing where to go (14%) and not having transportation (4%).

Methodology

This Time Magazine poll was conducted by telephone between August 9-10, 2006 among a national random sample of 1,003 adults, age 18 and older throughout America.

The margin of error for the entire sample is approximately +/- 3 percentage points. The margin of error is higher for subgroups. Surveys are subject to other error sources as well, including sampling coverage error, recording error, and respondent error.

Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs designed the survey and conducted all interviewing. The full Time questionnaire and trend data may be found in the related link below.

Related Link

Time Magazine/SRBI Survey Questionnaire and Frequencies