Emergency Preparedness Survey
If a disaster suddenly struck – a hurricane, pandemic, or economic crisis, for example – how well would you be prepared to meet the situation? The National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) asked of 1,201 individuals across the US “How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area?” The survey results indicate that, for the most part, Americans are drastically underprepared to handle such a major catastrophe.
The NFEC conducted the survey as part of its observance of National Preparedness Month, which occurs in September each year. National Preparedness Month was founded in 2004 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of its efforts to remind people to take a proactive approach to become prepared for emergency situations in advance.
FEMA suggests that individuals prepare, at minimum, to handle a three-day evacuation period and two weeks of being homebound. The NFEC, however, recommends being far better prepared – they suggest setting aside a year’s supply of essentials.
Survey Results
The NFEC received 1,201 responses from people across the US to the question, “How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area?” Among this sample, a sizable proportion (52.1%) of respondents specified that they would have less than one months’ worth of emergency money available to draw upon in case of a disaster. The survey was conducted between Aug. 15 and 17, 2022.
How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area?
Available Choices and Results Were:
Enough to last less than 1 month
Enough to last for 1-2 months
Enough to last for 3-6 months
Enough to last for 7-12 months
Enough to last for 12+ months
Past Results (August 2021)
The NFEC received 1,106 responses from people across the US to the question, “How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area?” Over a quarter of respondents (28.4%) have less than one month of emergency funds saved and 39.7% have less than two months saved. The survey was conducted between Aug. 12 and Sept. 1, 2021.
Survey Results
The survey asked 1106 people the following question:
How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area?
Available Choices and Results Were:
Enough to last less than 1 month
Enough to last for 1-2 months
Enough to last for 3-6 months
Enough to last for 7-12 months
Enough to last for 12+ months
Past Results (September 2020)
The survey (conducted between August 29th and September 3rd 2020) shows that many people are not prepared for a major issue, like economic downturns, natural disasters, pandemics, etc. Among this sample, a sizable proportion (46.6%) of respondents specified that they would have less than two months’ worth of emergency money available to draw upon in case of a disaster. Almost 1 out of 3 respondents (32.6%) would have less than 1 month of emergency money.
Survey Results
The survey asked 976 people the following question:
How much emergency money do you have saved that you could tap into in the case of a disaster in your area? (e.g. natural disaster, pandemic, economic catastrophe, etc.)
Available Choices and Results Were:
Enough to last less than 1 month
Enough to last for 1-2 months
Enough to last for 3-6 months
Enough to last for 7-12 months
Enough to last for 12+ months
Resources to Help You Prepare
The key to reducing risk of any emergency is advance preparation. If you scored low on the emergency preparedness survey, take action now. Resources to help you prepare:
