With hurricane season ramping up and the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina just around the corner, the degree to which Americans remain unprepared remains troubling. Without a recent catastrophe fresh in their minds, complacency is the default for most people, and a recent survey confirms this.

In a survey conducted by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big "I") and Trusted Choice, a group of personal lines insurance agencies, less than 22% of the people queried feel that they are prepared in case of a disaster, and 23% believe that they are "not prepared at all." Another 51% say they are "somewhat prepared," leaving only about 4% of people who are confident that they are ready for a catastrophe to strike. "Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere, as we recently saw with the devastating floods in Tennessee," said Big "I" vice president Madelyn Flannagan. "Lives and property are saved when people know what to do before, during and after a disaster."

The one potential saving grace of these results would be that perhaps people are more prepared than they are apt to admit. Maybe they would react better in a crisis but do not consider themselves more prepared than others? Unfortunately, that's probably not the case as a staggering 40% have no emergency supplies kit in their homes.

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The above article is reprinted from the August 2010 on-line edition of Risk Management Magazine.