Are You Complacent?

Do you consider yourself prepared for a weather emergency? If you do, you're in the minority. According to a survey taken by Zogby International, less than one half (47 percent) of survey respondents would take action based on a potential severe weather warning.

That's 53% who are going to die in the first few hours of the zombie apocalypse. ;) I'm teasing, but it makes me frustrated because I know these are the exact same people who throw a temper tantrum when the roads aren't cleared fast enough, or complain because the electricity has been out a few hours. Even worse about that study? A shocking 1 in 12 people said that nothing - a tornado sighting, fire in their line or sight, or even rising flood waters outside their door - would cause them to care.

What the?! This is me, banging my head against the wall. 2/3rds of the country is blanketed in some serious heat at the moment, with pockets still not having any electricity almost a week later. Over the last 365 days, there have been hurricanes, tornadoes, and decent snow storms. In my lifetime, I've seen my fair share of all three of those. I don't mess around when I have advance notice of any possible bad weather because I don't want to be sitting there either: hot, frozen, itchy from a lack of a shower, or hungry because I have no food in the house. My feelings of wanting to be ready only intensified when I had this teeny little person who became dependent on me.

Another key point in that study: 71% of Americans are unsure or unaware if their community has a personal alerting and notification system for public safety issues. If you're in this bracket - and it looks like most of us are - take a moment right now, open a second browser tab, and do a quick search to see what's up in your neck of the woods. Here in Kitsap County, we have the Kitsap Electronic Notification System (KENS), where you can even receive email or text updates during bad weather. (Sign up here if you're interested) Other counties throughout the US probably have very similar notification options. The city of Port Orchard also has an emergency siren to warn residents of immediate dangers such as tsnumais and tornadoes, although both are incredibly rare here.

If you're interested in taking steps to become more prepared for any emergency, there's no time like the present! Get an emergency kit ready in your car, teach your kids where there are safe spots, and/or update your first aid kit. You can even get your pets prepared for an emergency.

Click here for other posts I've done in the past on preparedness.