The Indiana Department of Homeland Security recently surveyed Hoosiers about their level of preparedness should an emergency such as a tornado, blizzard, earthquake or some sort of manmade disaster occur. The survey, which included a series of questions about preparedness plans, kits and various resources, was completed by more than 2,500 respondents.

According to the survey, more than half of Indiana households that responded did not have at least 3 days worth of food and water on hand should a disaster occur. Even more than half did not have other items recommended for a family preparedness kit, including things like flashlights, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, extra medications, extra pet supplies and copies of important documents that are hard to replace.

“The fact that at least half of Hoosier households are ill-prepared for a disaster is worrisome and why we are reminding Hoosiers to make preparations now for themselves, their families and their pets,” said IDHS Senior Public Information Officer John Erickson. “Disasters can happen any time and without much, if any, notice and we are especially concerned about these survey results, with winter weather just around the corner.”

Respondents cited several reasons why they do not have a disaster preparedness kit. Ed Rock of Kosciusko County Emergency Management would like to provide  the following information in relation to the top reasons why Hoosier’s stated they do not currently have a preparedness kit.

• “I don’t think there will be an emergency in my area.” – “We want to urge residents to think back to the Blizzard of ’78 when nothing could move in Kosciusko County for 4 days,” states Rock. “Or the more recent ice storms that took out power lines which took up to a week for some residents to have power restored. Please, please, please don’t think it can’t happen here.”
• “I’m too busy” – If you think you are busy, think of all the Emergency Responders (most of which are volunteers) who will have to work all that much harder for each family that is not prepared.
• “I don’t know what to put in a preparedness kit” – Please go to http://www.kcgov.com/egov/documents/1307720888_374298.pdf to find a week-by-week list of what to put in a disaster kit for your home. It also guides you to prepare plans so all family members know what to do.
• “It’s too expensive to put together extra supplies” – The above list helps break the cost down to manageable chunks
• “I just don’t think these items are necessary” – The lists that are published are based on real life experiences. Just think about what you and your family members will need and put your own style of kit together.

Erickson says part of the lack of preparedness stems from a false sense of security and the fact that 87 percent of those surveyed said they had never really experienced a widespread emergency. He says even though there are disasters in the news with some regularity, most people simply think it won’t happen to them.

The only thing harder than being prepared is explaining why you were not!

For more information on building a preparedness kit and drafting a family emergency plan, visit GetPrepared.IN.gov or www.ready.gov.