IDHS, County Emergency Management Director Address Preparedness
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Staff Report-
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 who responded did not have at least three 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, such as 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: “I don’t think there will be an emergency in my area”; “I’m too busy”; “I don’t know what to put in a preparedness kit”; “It’s too expensive to put together extra supplies”; and “I just don’t think these items are necessary.”
Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock provided responses to each of the reasons given.
• “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 four days. Or the more recent ice storms that took out power lines, which took up to a week for some residents to have restored. Please, please, please, don’t think it can’t happen here,” Rock said.
• “I’m too busy.”
“If you think you are busy, think of all the emergency responders (most of them volunteers) that will have to work all that much harder for each family that is not prepared,” he noted.
• “I don’t know what to put in a preparedness kit.”
“Please go to 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,” he said.
• “It’s too expensive to put together extra supplies.”
“The above list helps break the cost down to manageable chunks,” he noted.
• “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,” Rock said.
Erickson said 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.
For more information on building a preparedness kit and drafting a family emergency plan, visit GetPrepared.IN.gov or www.ready.gov[[In-content Ad]]
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 who responded did not have at least three 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, such as 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: “I don’t think there will be an emergency in my area”; “I’m too busy”; “I don’t know what to put in a preparedness kit”; “It’s too expensive to put together extra supplies”; and “I just don’t think these items are necessary.”
Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock provided responses to each of the reasons given.
• “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 four days. Or the more recent ice storms that took out power lines, which took up to a week for some residents to have restored. Please, please, please, don’t think it can’t happen here,” Rock said.
• “I’m too busy.”
“If you think you are busy, think of all the emergency responders (most of them volunteers) that will have to work all that much harder for each family that is not prepared,” he noted.
• “I don’t know what to put in a preparedness kit.”
“Please go to 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,” he said.
• “It’s too expensive to put together extra supplies.”
“The above list helps break the cost down to manageable chunks,” he noted.
• “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,” Rock said.
Erickson said 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.
For more information on building a preparedness kit and drafting a family emergency plan, visit GetPrepared.IN.gov or www.ready.gov[[In-content Ad]]
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