The survey can be found on the IDHS website at www.in.gov/dhs under the Featured Topics Section: “IDHS Citizen Preparedness Survey 2013.”
Anyone who participates is eligible to enter a contest to win a free all hazards/weather radio. The survey will stay open until at least Friday, Sept. 20. Individual responses will only be seen by IDHS staff, who will gather the data from the statewide survey.
With National Preparedness Month just around the corner, the online survey is designed to emphasize the need for preparedness. September is a time when emergency management and other related partners specially emphasize being ready for an emergency or disaster. Messages during the month will seek to encourage all Hoosiers to take the necessary steps to ensure that their homes, workplaces and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.
In 2011, the last time the survey was conducted, one of the most compelling findings was the difference in the level of preparedness between urban and rural areas. Residents of rural areas were nearly 12 percent more likely to be prepared than residents in urban areas. Regional differences were also noted. Three of the four highest-scoring regions, based on IDHS districts, were in the northwest portion of Indiana. The I-69 corridor from Marion to Allen counties showed a relatively low level of preparedness in the 2011 survey.
