Survey Shows General Public Is Not Prepared to Deal with Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Events
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), provider of the critical communication and collaboration platform that federal, national and local government agencies; corporations; educational institutions; and healthcare organizations count on when it matters most, today released its 2022 Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Preparedness report. The survey findings indicate that despite acknowledging an uptick in severe weather events and natural disasters, the general public still does not feel adequately prepared.
In 2021, the United States had some of the worst natural disasters and severe weather ever recorded, including 18 weather disasters that cost more than one billion dollars in damages and response. With the first half of 2022 already delivering record heat and storms, residents, public safety agencies, state and local governments, workplaces and more must prepare for these increasingly common events. To better understand how the public thinks about, and prepares for, natural disasters and severe weather events, Rave Mobile Safety fielded a national survey of over 1,000 respondents in June 2022.
Key takeaways include:
- The majority of respondents (90%) are just as or more concerned about severe weather now than they were just two years ago – and only 14% of respondents are hardly or not at all concerned that the intensity and frequency of natural disasters will increase in the future
- Only 27% of respondents feel very or extremely prepared to face severe weather
- Currently, 62% of respondents receive weather alerts through a weather app – but the majority (61%) would prefer to get notifications sent directly to their phone via a text/SMS
- 86% of respondents have at least a fair level of confidence in their local public safety and emergency management departments to properly handle a natural disaster or severe weather event in their area
- Almost half of respondents (46%) shared that more communication from local officials leading up to severe weather events would make them feel more prepared
- Nearly half (47%) the employees surveyed would like their workplaces to hold more trainings that outline what to do when severe weather strikes
Public Concerns and Preparedness
With intense heat, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes occurring more often, it’s not surprising that survey respondents generally recognize that natural disasters, including severe weather events, are cause for increasing concern – both now and in the future. In fact, only 14% of respondents stated they are hardly or not at all concerned that the intensity and frequency of natural disasters will increase in the coming years. Yet despite elevated concerns, only 27% of respondents said they felt extremely or very prepared to handle a natural disaster or severe weather event.
Although most respondents did not feel extremely prepared, more than half stated that they have taken at least some steps to prepare for major weather events. More than half (54%) have put together a safety kit (including items such as flashlights, clean water, non-perishable snacks, a radio, etc.), 48% have signed up for emergency notifications from their local government and/or public safety department and 36% have created an evacuation plan.
When it comes to receiving information about severe weather events, 62% of respondents report receiving alerts through a weather app and 56% receive text alerts from local and/or state officials. When asked about communication preferences, most respondents (61%) stated they would prefer to receive updates about natural disasters, including severe weather events, via text or SMS notifications. This response demonstrates that there is an opportunity for public safety departments, government officials and corporate representatives to expand how, why and when mass notification systems are used.
Trust in Public Safety
During natural disasters and other severe weather events, first responders, public safety and emergency management teams are among the first to interact with residents, get them information and respond to emergencies. Most respondents (86%) have at least a fair level of confidence that these entities are adequately prepared to handle natural disasters and severe weather events. This level of confidence persists when it comes to addressing the needs of at-risk residents – meaning the elderly, those with mental or physical disabilities or people with specific medical needs. Most respondents (80%) report having at least a fair level of confidence in local public safety and emergency management agencies having adequate information to address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Despite high levels of confidence, there are steps these entities can take to further improve community preparedness. For example, the survey shows that almost half of respondents (46%) indicated that more communication from local officials leading up to severe weather events would make them feel more prepared.
Trust in Workplaces
As with public safety departments, the majority of respondents (85%) said they generally trust that their workplace is prepared to protect them during a natural disaster or severe weather event. This high vote of confidence could stem from good communication practices given that most workplaces communicate with their employees via text (51%) or email (30%) during a severe weather event.
But there are steps that workplaces can take to better prepare their employees for extreme weather. Even though most employees (73%) feel as though they are aware of procedures or protocols to follow should a natural disaster, including a severe weather event, occur, there are still steps that employers can take to make employees feel even safer at work. These include holding trainings (47%), making safety plans digital (40%) and offering a convenient workplace safety application (40%).
“It’s become widely accepted that natural disasters and severe weather incidents are part of our lives and will continue to impact lives for the foreseeable future. Residents, employers and those charged with protecting communities can no longer wait until severe weather strikes – they must be prepared year-round for outreach and integrated response at a moment’s notice,” said Todd Piett, chief executive officer at Rave Mobile Safety. “Having open lines of communication and appropriate technological resources in place can greatly improve how communities address these chaotic incidents. While we can’t stop these events from happening, individuals, businesses and communities can limit their impact through proactive planning and cohesive communications.”
Download the full report
For more details on these findings, download the complete 2022 Rave Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Preparedness report.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted by the independent research firm Researchscape. Respondents were 1,071 individuals aged 18+ living in the United States. Responses were collected in early June 2022. The responses presented in this report were weighted to be representative of the overall population by the following variables.
About Rave Mobile Safety
Rave Mobile Safety is the leading provider of critical communication and collaboration technology used to save lives, manage crisis incidents, and increase resiliency. From major disasters and crisis events to everyday emergencies and operational incidents, the Rave platform enables critical data sharing, mass notification and emergency response coordination. Over 8,000 first responder, emergency management, 9-1-1, and federal, state, and local agencies—as well as corporations, healthcare organizations, higher education, and K-12 schools—all rely on Rave to prepare better, respond faster, recover quicker, and mitigate anticipated critical incidents. Founded in 2004, Rave’s award-winning software solutions are backed by leading growth equity firm TCV. Let Rave enable you to do all you can todayTM to keep everyone safe. For more information, visit https://www.ravemobilesafety.com, read our company blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
