A Few Statistics

Back in August, we made a short presentation on Emergency Preparedness to the ward and members filled out a brief questionnaire relating their own personal preparedness level.  Here are the results:

How much food supply do you have on hand?        
    A few weeks: 22%
    1-3 months: 42%
    >3-6 months: 14%
    >6-12 months: 19%
    none: 3%

Do you have adequate water for each member of your family for 72 hours?    
    Yes: 51%
    No: 49%

Do you have a 72 hour kit for each person in your family?   
    Yes: 46%
    No: 54%

Do you have means of cooking food if electricity and gas service is lost?     
    Yes: 66%
    No: 34%

Do you have at least a month of extra prescription medication on hand?
    Yes: 60%
    No: 40%

Do you have a home escape plan including two meeting places? 
    Yes: 12%
    No: 88%

Have you backed up all your important documents and photos/videos somewhere safe away from home?
    Yes: 20%
    No: 80%

Do you feel prepared for most emergencies if/when they occur?
    Yes: 29%
    No: 71%


So what do these statistics mean?  When viewed overall, we see that in most areas of preparedness, less than half of us would be ready in an emergency.  It is striking that very few families have an escape plan in place with meeting sites designated.  Relatively few have backed up their important documents, and less than 1/3 of us feel prepared for most emergencies.  In the next few weeks we'll add more posts to give you ideas how you can become prepared for most any disaster that may come our way here in West Virginia.