Preparedness poll results

I recently polled friends and family about preparedness. I got 20 responses, mostly from folks living in and around Chicago. Thought you might find the results interesting.

1) I view preparedness as…
a. something for conspiracy theorists and Boy Scouts—0%
b. something I’m actively working towards—55%
c. important but haven’t gotten around to it—45%
d. unimportant—0%

2) I have this much drinkable water stored:
a. none—45%
b. 1 to 3 days—30%
c. 4 days to 2 weeks—20%
d. more than 2 weeks—5%

3) I keep a flashlight within reach of my bed: Yes—55% or No—45%

4) I have the means and know-how to make drinkable water: Yes—35% or No—65%

5) Thinking about preparedness makes me feel...
a. nervous, I don’t like to think about bad things happening—0%
b. unprepared, I know I should prepare but haven’t—50%
c. indifferent, I’ll be taken care of regardless of my efforts or lack thereof—15%
d. confident, I’m doing what I can—35%

6) I have this much non-perishable food stored…
a. not sure, whatever’s on my shelves—65%
b. 3 days—10%
c. 4 days to 2 weeks—20%
d. more than 2 weeks—5%

7) I carry some basic preparedness items (Swiss Army knife, small flashlight, First Aid supplies, etc.), other than a cell phone, daily: Yes—50% or No—50%

8) I try to fill up my car’s gas tank…
a. never, I don’t use a car—5%
b. when the “low gas” light comes on—15%
c. when the tank hits half full (half empty?)—65%
d. whenever I remember to do it—15%

9) I have an evacuation/get out of town bag ready to go: Yes—15% or No—85%

e. like I want to spend money

I thought your poll was a good idea so I decided to ask my friends what they are doing as far as being prepared goes. I was surprised at their answers and found out that I'm not as prepared as I thought. They all said they haven't done anything to prepare, when I asked them what they would do in an emergency, they all said their plan was to come to my house because they know I am more than prepared. I either need new friends or they are going to have to learn a few things. At least I know what to get them for Christmas.

Yeah, I try to balance being disceet about my preparedness and trying to encourage preparedness in others. I bought all my neighbors (in my apt. building) "shaker" flashlights awhile back (and will do something like that seasonally) but try not to advertise my level of preparedness except to family and closer friends.

Ha! Where do you stop? I guess you stop when you finally meet that one circumstance you couldn't prepare for. Then it's between you and your Maker.

Interesting point! When does one stop?

This is addictive and if you are preparing out of fear you are feeding your fear to some degree.

Where do I stop? NEVER. I just have serious budget constraints that keep me in line.

-Nim

ooohhhh.... shinyyyyyyy.....

*chuckle*

b. unprepared, I know I should prepare but haven’t—50%

I wonder what is hard about preparing for people?
Information, availability, mental set?

I don't think it's so hard for them to prepare, it's just easier to have someone else do it for them.

I think that's definitely a big part of it, especially here in the city. I also think it has a lot to do with people not wanting to think about the "bad things" that can happen. Ignorance is bliss.

I think some view it as a huge undertaking and simply need to be given very basic steps that they can accomplish easily.

"Water is very important. Get four gallons for yourself and anyone else in your household. Consider working towards two weeks' worth or more eventually."

"Oh. OK."

I think some view it as a huge undertaking and simply need to be given very basic steps that they can accomplish easily.
-----

Which reminds me: is there such a resource as, lets say, one or two page instructions on preparedness? "Preparedness for dummies", so to speak.

Believe it or not.....

"Disaster Preparedness for Dummies" at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006UYON8/102-9363343-7428138?v=glance&n=130

Sue

Amen! Budget constraints are a huge concern for me. Also, the GWB (gorgeous wife babe) thinks disaster preparedness is just for delusional paranoids.

That's why I try to save my pocket change and brown bag a few extra lunches to buy a few small items each month. Since the beginning of 2006, I've purchased the following: Ritter PSK, two first aid kits, Leatherman Charge Ti, 1 pkg of Micropur tablets, waterproof/windproof matches, freeze-dried food (with heaters and water to rehydrate) for 3 days and several small flashlights. The peace of mind that I received for just getting started is worth the cost. Besides, gear shopping is supposed to be FUN! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The best suggestion that I can make is to pick out the best items, establish priorities and watch the sales (i.e., I found the Leatherman charge for $74.95 with free shipping).

Also, websites such as ETS are a godsend. I've used it to research equipement and learn many new techniques.

I'd rather be considered a delusional paranoid than to sit somewhere with my bottom lip pooched out waiting for someone to rescue me at their convienence. I don't want to depend on anyone to get me out of harms way. Peace of mind comes with being prepared and I'm totally ok with that. Everyone thought I was crazy when I bought a tool box and started filling it a little at a time with first aid supplies, yet I'm the one they come to when they have a boo boo.

I agree completely! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Better to be paranoid but prepared then dead......

I agree and have to laugh with you at your example. My wife changed a bit when we vacationed at DisneyWorld for a week. I carried a modified EDC and quickly became the most popular person in our group. I often was handing out bandages, anti-bacterial ointment, aleve tablets, sunscreen and the like. She also was surprised when I pulled out a mini-LED light to guide us around (some of the grounds are quite dark after sunset, especially during the fireworks shows).

"the GWB (gorgeous wife babe) thinks disaster preparedness is just for delusional paranoids."

I had to giggle at that, coming so close to a conversation that took place the other evening. Once in a while, my dog gets a severe case of selective deafness and trots down the street to visit her dog friend, Lucky. I followed her down the street and got engaged in talking to a couple of neighbors. Larry's SIL is one of those gorgeous wife babes, and she's also a salesperson who travels a lot by herself. She thinks her cell phone can get her out of any situation.

She refused to learn how to change a tire.
She refused to keep motor oil, transmission fluid or water/coolant in the vehicle because it "might leak".
She refused to carry a pair of walking shoes in the car.
Etc, etc, etc.

So, she's out in the sticks somewhere on one of those paved shortcuts and noticed a goodly amount of white smoke following her car. She pulled off the road, and found some kind of fluid draining into the ground.

She pulls out her trusty cell phone and.... no signal.

She waits a couple of hours for the State Patrol, but no one comes. A few cars pass, but no one stops. So, before it gets dark, she decides to walk, as what passes for a town should be only about 10 miles ahead. Ten miles in spike heels. (I'm not snickering here, really.... well, not very much... <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />)

She was about a half-hour from her car when she went to try her cell phone again, and realized that she had left it in the car.

A car with four disreputable-looking guys in it stopped and offered her a car, calling her "sweetie" and leering the whole time. She refused.

An old, decrepit farm truck with several Hispanics aboard stopped and seemed concerned (English was in short supply), two of the men jumped out of the cab and climbed into the bed of the truck, and they offered her the front seat. By now, she was getting pretty desperate, so she accepted.

They took her to the "town" (wide spot in the road), saw her to a pay phone, then waited with her until her DH showed up, as no one seemed to be around. DH showed up about 8:00 pm, an hour later.

I wonder if this little episode will change her mind about carrying a few things with her? Not that anything but maybe a satellite phone would have made too much of a difference... But since she waited a couple of hours, and the white smoke was probably transmission fluid, the tranny had probably cooled down enough to accept and hold some transmission fluid (if it was just a leak). If she had had some replacement fluid with her, she might have been able to put it in and get closer, if not all the way, to the phone.

BTW, the Mexican gentlemen didn't wait for a reward. When DH arrived, he went over to thank them. His Spanish is kind of rudimentary, but he understood from them that a woman had been raped in that immediate area not long ago, and they were worried to leave her by herself. They flatly refused any reward, and he said they all waved cheerfully as they left.

Sue

"the GWB (gorgeous wife babe) thinks disaster preparedness is just for delusional paranoids."

I have a slightly different problem. My recent casual references to family preparedness (ie a "We should make sure we have at least a few days of food in the house no matter what, don't you think, Hun?") had the effect of *making* my GWB paranoid. Her reaction was "Why? What do you kown? Is something going to happen?"

I tried to 'splain that no, I don't have anything in mind - we're not in a flood/hurricane area, not near or downwind from any major terrorist targets, not in a big city where riots might start, not sitting on a fault line, etc. but don't you remember how the very day we moved into this house we had a severe thunderstorm that knocked out power for three days?

I am glad that Susans friend didn't wind up face down in a ditch. Her Guardian Angel must have been on triple time and hazard pay. Hopefully she will be open to a few suggestions now. I think that preparedness is the wrong term to use amonst the uneducated masses. Try "Risk Assesment" instead. As in its my "job" to assess the risks and take the appropriate steps. We are all, always going to get jeered at by some pig-ignoramus. That's alright, the sooner he gets his ass Darwined the better. Everyone else we help.

Interesting idea...I think of risk assessment as a first step with preparedness being the application or action taken on one's assessment. But you may be right, "risk assessment" may be less off-putting for some.

In trying to get others to think about risk assessment/preparedness, I point to current events (power out for days in St. Louis and Queens) or historical events that affected masses of people (Katrina, huge ice storm in Canada, 9/11) and encourage people to put themselves in those people's shoes. Usually gets people thinking. Or, I look at something fairly minor like the recent CTA train derailment/fire in Chicago where a filter mask and small flashlight would've been simple EDC items that could've made a differenc.

This is what going crazy must feel like.

They go into overwelm. There are those of us who Preach the Sermon of Preperation, and we bring into it things like hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, et al. The first thing that the average person thinks of is the media images, which are frequently the worst of it, and focus on bigger-than-human issues (levees, overpasses, et al) and every horrible post-nuke/plague/mad max/disaster movie they've ever seen. They think of 55 gallon drums of water and fuel, stacks of MREs, those accursed field surgery kits, and exotic tools, while juggling fall out and brain sucking mutant alien cyborg zombie biker gangs. Ones that are on fire.

Thier brains just shut down.

I start them small, ask them how much they have in thier mad money collection, and either sit down with them with a website or three, or just drag them to wally-world, home despot and a grocery store. Buy NOTHING (ok, at the grocery store buy something or they will follow you). Instead, write down prices and quantities. then sit down with them, and look to see what they do have (chainsaw, shovels, sleeping bags, etc). Take those off the list. First thing is water containers, a thing of bleach, some extra canned/dry goods, and an extra container for lawn mower gas and a sign that says "if I'm empty, fill me" go over the cans. Put a similair sign under the fuel gauge in the cars. Work your way down the list, showing what can be done now, what should be done as soon as finances allow, and what is just nice to have. It suddenly become managable to them.

Only problem is is that you have to hold thier hand while they are learning, it has to be one on one. It's just teaching most people to use a computer if they've only had limited (or no) experince with them. Or drive a stick shift, or to shoot, or ride a horse, or any of a thousand things that you really can't learn out of a book.

Also, no one likes a know-it-all. I think a lot of us might have issues of presentation, becuase a lot of this is just "duh" stuff to us.

Great poll! It would be interesting if you could have some follow-up questions to see if they are being truthful or are they just fooling themselves. Most people have no idea how much they actually have at home and will give the "right" answer so as not to sound unprepared, stupid, wrong, etc. It's typical of almost every survey ever conducted, kind of like people telling you what you want to hear. How are they actively working towards preparedness? What have they done this week in that direction? What method is their means to make drinkable water? Have they actually tried this method?
I like to ask people what they would do after a hurricane (I live in Houston, TX) when the power is out for a week. When they stumble around and don't have a good answer then start going in the direction of "Well FEMA is going to come and...", I say one word - KATRINA! Then they get this panicked look and I just shake my head. They don't want to acknowledge the fragility of their existence so they live in a delusion that everything's going to be OK. Sad isn't it!

I've followed up informally with many of the people. Though my intention was for this to be a poll, many perceived it to be a test and probably did tend to make themselves look a little better. Though many said they were actively working towards preparedness, most evidence was to the contrary.

The question about when folks fill their tank was missing an option--the quarter tank fillup. I think folks were hedging between "half tank" and "low gas light" and didn't want to look like chumps. But several admitted that "half tank" was overly optimistic.

There were some responses that didn't surprise and others that did. One guy is a responsible father of four but he "failed" almost every question. Yikes! To me, it's one thing if you're a young, single person who's only responsible for yourself but those with others in their care need to be a bit more on the ball.

Several of these folks are from my church and I have a blog that I've done preparedness posts on, primarily targeted at them and just "city folks" in general. One thing that seems to really hit home is when I say, "During a crisis, you are either going to be a blessing or a burden to those around you." That seems to really hit home and get them thinking beyond themselves.

Well, speaking as a father of four (oldest is 8), it is a bit intimidating to prepare and account for all the things that need to happen. Just water, for example. FEMA recommends 1 gal/person/day, with 3 day supply. So that is 24 gallons of water, just for 3 days. And, as we know, that is an optimistic assessment in some areas. Doesn't sound like much until you are trying to actually figure out where to keep it. But what about if we bug out? I can't keep much in the van, if preparedness/backup supplies encroach on grocery or packing space then I hear about it.

If your friend with 4 kids is intimidated, or anyone for that matter, hopefully you'll have a chance to follow up with some of the good recommendations from this thread. I've been slowly accumulating supplies, rather than all at once. Also, having a good plan is probably the most important thing.

Anotherinkling,

Your blog sounds interesting. Any chance of you posting the URL?

-Blast

At the risk of losing some of my online anonymity, here you go: Another Inkling. The "Building Tangible Margin" series is the preparedness effort. Religion, politics and other miscellanea are thrown in for free. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Great thread. IMO and as has been mentioned already the media bias against those who are preparing is high on the list of why people don’t. Not only do you have your movies like Mad Max & Waterworld, but also even the cartoon movies like Ice Age make those who are preparing for the worst look like we are nuts. If you’ve seen that movie & you are into preparing you are represented by the DODO birds. (My kids love that part by the way) Of course “It’s too expensive” and Laziness are also high on the list, but at the top has to be “It won’t happen to Me”. That has to be one of the biggest flaws in human thinking – why else would thousands of normal people climb behind the wheel of a car drunk every weekend?

Don’t forget the 40 gal. in your water heater that could come in handy if you lost water pressure immediately. If you have to bug out really quickly hauling all that on foot would be impossible. But if you have the time to drain it into inflatiable water bags & your vehicle is working that is several days supply even for a family of six. Especially if you conserve it by not working in the sun, etc.

Anotherinklig,

Thank you very much for the URL!

-Blast

Oh, I've got a better one, but it only works for the right age bracket. Ask them if they remember Erlte the Turtle. "Duck and cover", everyone.

You want to see any faith in FEMA go away, that worked pretty well even before Katrina.

I have changed my plans from showers to bathtubs in two of the four bathrooms in the new house. My GWB thinks her sacrificing loving hubby is not sparing any luxury items for their beautiful home.

I havent told her that the REAL reason is to have two additional "buckets" of water in case of emergency

<img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Sometimes I feel like a criminal trying to hide things.

Now, if she finds all the candles I am staching she would think I am going tp put them all on her birthday cake and expose her age.

Stash the candles with a scented massage oil that you can also use with wicks to make lamps out of jelly jars. Then she'll just think you are hiding a romantic side.

Better buy a couple books on massage while you are at it. Just in case she calls the bluff. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It's a question/statement of how covenient life has become.
Rarely do people do "things" for themselves, movies are delivered to your door, you can do your shopping on-line,pick up my car for a service etc...they get so used to that if, heaven forbid it wasn't there one day, there'd be chaos!
So the mindset is slowly being worn away...
I hate to think what the next generation of kids will be like?
Someone else to fight a war for them?

Convenience is good, but it shouldn't rule our lives.

The "unfortunate" folks in Beirut can/seem to move at a moments notice.Can we?

Good point, thanks! I'll move a few collabsible containers into the HVAC closet for backup. Also a good reminder that I need to drain the tank a bit to get rid of sediment. Hmm, perhaps I'll put some coffee filters & a funnel in with the containers to filter out the chunks if we want to use that water in emergency.

A couple of longtime friends who still live in SoCal have gradually been getting The Word on preparedness. Their house isn't very big, so they built a new "tool shed" in the back yard, painted to match the house. But there's no lawnmower, weedwhacker or garden tools in it. It is on a concrete slab, has no windows, is heavily insulated and has some kind of solar vent thing. It has sturdy shelves with supplies in those medium-sized plastic totes.

If they have an earthquake, their stuff will be accessible. If they have to run, the stuff is in plastic totes, color-coded for importance.

I thought this was a clever idea for storage. I haven't seen it but would like to.

Sue

Umm... "someone" else does fight a war for them: Predator Drones! If they could only make the interface to the Predators work with an X-box game controller...