As evidenced by several surveys since Hurricane Katrina, only around 30% of Americans say their disaster preparedness is adequate. That’s a modest start given the devastation of Katrina, but of those 30%, probably about half actually have all the needed elements of a disaster plan!

Below are the top 5 reasons why you’re really not as prepared for a disaster as you think, even though you have some supplies.

1. Insufficient Supplies

Very few people seem to regularly check the contents of their emergency supplies after they buy them. Most survival food and water supplies have a 5 year shelf-life. So, even though you bought some supplies 5 years ago, has your family changed at all since then? Do you have an infant now, small children, grown kids who have left home? Any family changes and time could cause your emergency supplies to now be inadequate, inappropriate or expired. I recommend checking them twice a year when you change you clocks and smoke detector batteries.

2. Decentralized Supplies

Whenever we display the contents of our emergency kits at public events, folks often tell me that "they have one of those, and a couple of these, and some of that." I then ask them where they keep it all and they say "the tent is in the space over the garage with the camping gear; the first aid kit is in the bathroom; raingear is in the closet; flashlights are located in the bedroom nightstand, kitchen drawer and garage workbench; and food is in the pantry." While it makes sense to have such items in these locations, emergencies don’t allow you time to collect all of this stuff before you evacuate. Think about all of the stories you’ve seen on the national news about wildfire victims having only minutes to evacuate. Get dedicated emergency supplies.

3. Inadequate Locations

Most people have their emergency supplies at home. This is fine if your family is home during a disaster, but odds are you’ll be scattered around the city given your busy lifestyles. If you don’t keep a car survival kit in your vehicle, you stand the chance of being stranded in your vehicle without food, water and medical supplies. And, if not for a disaster, what about a single car accident on a little traveled road? We read about folks getting lost or in an accident that are stranded for days with no supplies and most perish. While your employer should have an emergency plan for the company, make sure you have a little something in your office just in case. Consider that for a shelter-in-place scenario at work, you may not have access to your car survival kit in the parking lot.

4. Lacking emergency plans

Having the right quantity of appropriate supplies in the right place is important, but so too is knowing how to react to various emergency scenarios that you may encounter where you live and work. You need to consider and actually document the following 4 plans to complete your emergency planning.

a. Shelter-in-Place – how will you shelter-in-place within your home, office or car? Remember, at home you don’t need to seal up your entire house, just the part you are sheltering in. This should make sealing the area simpler and faster. But you need to consider which room(s) is best and on which floor?

b. Evacuations – how will you respond to a voluntary evacuation order? Where could you go instead of a shelter if you have the option? What emergency supplies and critical documents will you take with you and who will get what to load the car?

c. Meeting Places – there are a couple considerations here, 1) where will you meet given a home emergency (i.e., fire) and 2) where will you meet if you and your family are scattered around town at the time of an emergency?

d. Communications Plan – considering that phone lines may be down locally, how will your family connect if they are separated during and emergency? While most anyone can tell you that phone lines and cell systems will most likely be inoperable during a major disaster, few actually consider how to check on their family members when separated. It’s not uncommon to have children in 2 or even 3 schools during the day while Mom and Dad work in different locations. Use our helpful Communications Plan form to document your plan.

5. Home Inventory

While few disagree that having a home inventory record is a good idea, few have actually accomplished the task (even mine needs updating). It is time consuming and tedious, but extremely helpful after you’ve "lost everything" in a disaster. The simple way is just to take a video of every room in your home while narrating the contents. Having a record of itemized cost, especially large ticket items, is even more helpful and can actually be used to ensure your home owners insurance is sufficient regarding replacement items. You can also use our helpful Home Inventory Worksheet with photos and notes.

Now some folks believe if they buy a survival kit, emergency kit, go bag, bug out bag or the like that they are prepared. Others believe you need two years’ worth of food and a small arsenal to defend your food supply. On either end of the spectrum, getting dedicated supplies may be the easiest to complete, but there are other key items to consider in your family’s emergency preparedness efforts to be self-sufficient in an emergency.