Natural Hazard Survey

1.  How long have you lived in your current town or city? ______

2.  What is your hometown zip code? ______

3.  In your lifetime, which of the following types of natural hazards have you experienced? (check all that apply)

  1. Drought
  2. Flooding
  3. Hurricane/tropical storm
  4. Fire
  5. Tsunami
  6. Earthquake
  7. Volcanic eruption
  8. Sink hole
  9. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
  10. Severe winter storm
  11. Tornado/Cyclone
  12. Excessive temperatures
  13. Groundwater contamination
  14. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
  15. Ice storm
  16. Landslide/Avalanche
  17. Other (please specify) ______

4.  Which of the following types of natural hazards are possible in your current town/city or region? (check all that apply)

  1. Drought
  2. Flooding
  3. Hurricane/tropical storm
  4. Fire
  5. Tsunami
  6. Earthquake
  7. Volcanic eruption
  8. Sink hole
  9. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
  10. Severe winter storm
  11. Tornado/Cyclone
  12. Excessive temperatures
  13. Groundwater contamination
  14. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
  15. Ice storm
  16. Landslide/Avalanche
  17. Other (please specify) ______

5.  In terms of risk, what do you believe is the likelihood that the following natural hazards could happen in your current town/city or region in the next 10 years (1 – highly unlikely 2- unlikely, 3- somewhat likely, 4 - highly likely, DK - don’t know)

  1. Drought
  2. Flooding
  3. Hurricane/tropical storm
  4. Fire
  5. Tsunami
  6. Earthquake
  7. Volcanic eruption
  8. Sink hole
  9. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
  10. Severe winter storm
  11. Tornado
  12. Excessive temperatures
  13. Groundwater contamination
  14. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
  15. Ice storm
  16. Landslide/Avalanche

6.  How would you rank the following in terms of vulnerability in your area to natural hazards? (please mark one box per item: 1 - not vulnerable, 2 - low vulnerability, 3 - somewhat vulnerable, 4 - highly vulnerable, DK - don’t know)

  1. Food supply
  2. Water supply
  3. General residences
  4. Hospitals
  5. College
  6. Schools (K-12)
  7. Senior Centers
  8. Religious Institutions
  9. Public Transportation
  10. Roads and Bridges
  11. Shopping Centers
  12. Government buildings
  13. Businesses
  14. Indigenous communities
  15. Minority communities
  16. Impoverished communities
  17. Other (please specify) ______

7.  How concerned are you about the impacts of natural hazards in your current town/city or region (e.g. property damage, loss of life, economic impacts, etc.)? (please select from the following: 1 - not concerned, 2- somewhat concerned, 3 - very concerned, 4 - extremely concerned, DK - don’t know)

  1. Drought
  2. Erosion – coastal or stream bed
  3. Flooding
  4. Hurricane/tropical storm
  5. Fire
  6. Tsunami
  7. Earthquake
  8. Volcanic eruption
  9. Sink hole
  10. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
  11. Severe winter storm
  12. Tornado
  13. Excessive temperatures
  14. Groundwater contamination
  15. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
  16. Ice storm
  17. Landslide/Avalanche

8.  If a tornado occurred right now and you are in a house or building, what would you do?

  1. go into a basement or, if a basement is not available, go to the center of a stable structure
  2. go outside and find a low area (e.g., ditch) to lie down in until the storm passes
  3. I don’t know

9.  If a tornado occurred right now and you are in a mobile home, what would you do?

  1. find the center of your structure or a bathtub to lie in until the storm passes
  2. go outside and find a low area (e.g., ditch) to lie down in until the storm passes
  3. I don’t know

10.  If a tornado occurred right now and you are in your car, what would you do?

  1. try to outrun the tornado to a safe location
  2. try to find a bridge to park under until the storm passes
  3. find a building (e.g., nearby store or restaurant) to take shelter in until the storm passes or, if no shelter is available, park your car in the lowest-lying nearby area, put your head down and wait.
  4. I don’t know

11.  If an earthquake occurred right now, what would you do?

  1. drop, cover and hold
  2. go stand in a door frame
  3. run outside and get away from buildings
  4. I don’t know

12.  If an earthquake occurred right now and you were near the ocean, what would you do?

  1. go to high ground as soon as the shaking stops
  2. stay put until someone informs you whether or not you should evacuate to higher ground
  3. I don’t know

13.  Have you ever participated in a natural hazard drill or community awareness/preparedness exercise? (check all that apply)

  1. Volcano
  2. Earthquake
  3. Tsunami
  4. Tornado
  5. Fire
  6. Other (please specify) ______

14.  Do you have an emergency kit?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. I don’t know

15.  Which of the following emergency supplies do you have readily available? (check all that apply)

  1. Bottled water
  2. Non-perishable food
  3. First aid kit
  4. Radio and batteries
  5. Dust masks
  6. Gasoline
  7. Evacuation plan

16.  Do you feel prepared for a natural disaster?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. I don’t know

17.  Please rank how prepared you are for the probable impacts of natural hazard events likely to occur in your current town/city or region. Rank on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 representing the least prepared to 5 representing the most prepared or DK – don’t know).

  1. Power outage
  2. No clean water
  3. Inhibited transportation
  4. Lack of access to stores
  5. Lack of access to emergency services

18.  Why do you think you are prepared for the probable impacts from natural hazard events that may occur within your current town/city or region? (Check all that apply)

  1. Emergency preparedness information from a government source (e.g. federal, state, or local emergency management)
  2. Locally provided news or other media information
  3. Schools and other academic institutions
  4. Attended meetings that have dealt with disaster preparedness
  5. Other – please specify ______

19.  Information on the impacts of how to prepare for a natural disaster can be disseminated to the public in various ways. Of the methods described below, please identify the top three ways which would be most effective in helping you make you feel safer and better able to withstand the impact of natural hazard events (check three)

  1. Printed Media
  2. Newspaper
  3. Telephone book
  4. Informational brochures
  5. Books
  6. Magazines
  7. Posters
  8. Public forums
  9. Public meetings
  10. Workshops
  11. Schools
  12. Church
  13. Public library
  14. Academic institutions
  15. Internet
  16. Television
  17. TV news
  18. TV advertisements
  19. Documentaries
  20. Radio
  21. Radio news
  22. Radio advertisements
  23. Public awareness timeframe
  24. flood awareness week
  25. winter storm preparedness month
  26. volcano week
  27. shake out
  28. Other (please specify) ______

20.  If you relocated to this area, did you consider the possible occurrence of natural hazards where you moved?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don’t know/NA

21.  If you answered “no” to question 20, would knowing more about local natural hazards have influenced your decision to move to this area?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don’t know/NA

22.  Rank the following from 1 to 5 in terms of who is most responsible (1) to least responsible (5) for you and/or your family’s safety during and following a natural event?

  1. I am responsible
  2. My parents are responsible
  3. Local emergency response organizations are responsible (police, fire department)
  4. Local government agencies
  5. Federal government agencies

23.  Which age group are you in?

  1. 18-24
  2. 25-34
  3. 35-44
  4. 45-54
  5. 55-64
  6. 65 or older

24.  Gender

  1. Female
  2. Male
  3. Other (please specify)

25.  Which of the following best describes the situation where you live? (please choose one)

  1. Own a house
  2. Rent a house
  3. Own a condominium or townhouse
  4. Rent an apartment
  5. Live in a dorm
  6. Live at home with family
  7. Other (please specify) ______

26.  Which of the following categories do you think best describes your yearly household income:

  1. 0-24,999
  2. 25,000-49,999
  3. 50,000-74,999
  4. 75,000-99,999
  5. Over 100,000
  6. Don’t Know

27.  Which best reflects the highest level of education you have completed?

  1. High School Diploma
  2. College Degree (2 or 4 year)
  3. Graduate Degree (Masters, Ph.D., etc.)
  4. Currently in college (undergraduate)
  5. Currently in college (graduate student)
  6. None of the above

28.  Please indicate the name of the student who sent you this survey. IF you are a student in the course, please type in your name and check yes for ‘I am currently in the course’.

Student name______

I am currently in the course (1 - yes/2 - no)

I am not in the course (1 - yes/2 - no)