Household preparedness for the Aftermath of Hurricanes in Florida

Hurricane Wilma in 2005 resulted in difficulties for Florida agencies in satisfying emergency relief demands by citizens. Because of this, a study was conducted to assess overall household preparedness for the aftermath of a disaster causing loss of electricity and other utilities for at least three days. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1200 Florida households to ask about current levels of preparedness in the spring of 2006 and about preparedness levels during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. Preparedness scores were computed based on a list of eight items for current preparedness and a list of ten items for preparedness for recent hurricanes. Results indicated that most households reported being well prepared to subsist on their own for at least three days following a disaster. Preparedness was strongly related to income, home ownership, race, age, and type of housing. Difficulties in meeting demand for emergency relief following Wilma appear to have resulted from needs of a relatively small percentage of households in an area having a very large population and from a number of households consuming relief supplies even though they reported being prepared.