The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management shares the final results on how residents are preparing for a major natural disaster.
They found that 74% believe a natural disaster is somewhat or very likely to happen in the next 50 years, but being aware may not be enough to get prepared.
Dan Douthit, PIO for Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, says only 52% of Portlanders have made an emergency kit for their household, which tracks almost exactly nationally; Portlanders are not any more prepared than people in other parts of the country.
Douthit says even though Portlanders believe that knowing their neighbors is a first step to community preparedness, only 13% have actually made an emergency plan with their neighbors.
There are many ways to get prepared. Douthit says they offer training to become a volunteer in their Neighborhood Emergency Team program. It’s a great way to be formally trained in a natural disaster.
For more information and to read the full report, visit portlandoregon.gov/pbem.
The research was conducted from November 2016 to February 2017 and includes the results of a telephone survey, online survey, and two focus groups.