Why Aren't Americans Listening to Disaster Preparedness Messages?

rand.org - by Lori Uscher-Pines, Anita Chandra, Joie Acosta, Arthur L. Kellermann - June 29, 2012

"Have an emergency plan for your family.” "Expect to be on your own for three days." "Stock a disaster kit with water, food, basic medical supplies, and prescription drugs. Include extra clothes, a flashlight, and a battery-powered radio." "Be sure you know what your community's disaster plan is."

This is the kind of advice public health officials have been giving the public since 9/11. But the public isn't listening. Four years after Hurricane Katrina, only slightly more than half of those responding to a survey by the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that they had any kind of emergency preparedness kit in their homes. Other national surveys report similarly dismal findings.

Given the recent spate of highly publicized disasters, why don't more Americans pay attention?

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