December 14, 2005
By Marie McCullough
Philly Inquirer Staff Writer
If a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina struck Pennsylvania, would residents be prepared?
A Temple University survey of 1,500 families is less than reassuring.
In general, Pennsylvanians have not made plans for evacuating or meeting up with family members, as experts suggest. They are unaware of a state campaign to increase household self-sufficiency in an emergency. Their fears of possible disasters do not reflect past disasters. And they are unsure where to turn for reliable information in case of a catastrophe.
"We have work to do so that the public is aware of preparedness needs and knows what to do if a disaster happens," concludes Temple University public-health professor Susan Bass, who was to present the findings today at the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia.
The phone survey was conducted about a year ago, well before Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast served as a national wake-up call, so Pennsylvanians' concerns and practices may already have changed.
Still, the interviews - divided about evenly between residents of the Philadelphia area and the rest of the state - suggest that complacency and poor communication are common problems in the state.
While most residents said they felt prepared for a disaster, a majority had not purchased a first-aid kit, duct tape and plastic, or extra food and water. Less than a third had located a shelter or made a "family plan."
"Part of it is, they're not really sure what to do to be prepared," Bass said. "They think of having a flashlight, a radio. But they don't have a plan for their family - where to meet, where to go" if they must evacuate.
Conversely, Bass said, officials have not adequately communicated "this whole idea of 'sheltering in place': If I was stuck in my house for three weeks, what would I need to survive?"
Bass and her two co-researchers, Alice Hausman, chair of Temple's public-health department, and assistant professor Brenda Seals, are members of Temple's Center for Preparedness, Research, Education and Practice. They believe Pennsylvania offers a "unique opportunity" to study how much people dread and prepare for disasters because the state has been exposed to so many, from tornadoes to a meltdown at a nuclear power plant. Indeed, the survey purposely included a large sample of residents from Westmoreland County, where one of the hijacked planes crashed Sept. 11, 2001.
But again, residents' opinions were not necessarily grounded in experience. While 52 percent said they were concerned about a hijacking of public transportation, the top-ranked worry - chosen by 54 percent - is intentional poisoning of the water or food supply, something that has never happened in the state.
Smaller percentages said they worried about tornadoes, floods, radiation exposure, toxic chemicals, or bioterrorism with anthrax or some other infectious agent.
The survey did not ask residents whether they feared a disease pandemic, even though SARS and avian flu in Asia were in the news last fall.
"Pandemic flu was hardly a blip on the radar screen," Bass said, "so I don't think we could have asked about it."
The survey revealed a small surprise that may help government and public-health officials improve communication with the public: Half of those surveyed said they would go to their clergy for information in an emergency.
"The clergy has not been used to help get information out," Bass noted.
PREPARING FOR DISASTER
Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside your neighborhood.
Designate an out-of-town relative for everyone to contact. Long-distance calls may go through more easily than local calls.
Locate nearby shelters and learn about local emergency plans for your town, children's schools and work.
Stockpile these items:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation.
Food, at least a three-day supply of nonperishable items, such as nuts, dried fruit and peanut butter.
Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries.
Flashlight and extra batteries.
First-aid kit.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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