How Does Your Preparedness Compare?
This post is part of a weekly series focused on National Preparedness Month.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released the results from its 2020 National Household Survey (NHS), which assesses the nation's progress in building a culture of preparedness. FEMA also reviews the perceptions and experiences that influence people to take steps to become more prepared.
Findings from the 2020 NHS show that, of the more than 5,000 respondents:
- Over 68% have set aside money for an emergency
- Only 48% have an emergency plan
- Nearly 65% report seeking preparedness information
- About 40% do not consider themselves prepared but intend to prepare
- About 47% believe that preparing for a disaster can help, and they express confidence in their ability to prepare
In addition, FEMA uses the NHS to assess which preparedness actions individuals may take, as the agency's research suggests that certain actions lay the groundwork for pursuing other actions. The six actions studied include:
- Have supplies to last three or more days
- Talk with others about being prepared
- Attend a local hearing or meeting
- Seek information on preparedness
- Participate in an emergency drill
- Make an emergency plan
Overall, results from the 2020 NHS suggest 68% of participants took three or more of the surveyed preparedness actions — a 6% increase from 2019. Further analysis of the study, which has been conducted annually since 2013, suggests:
- The percentage of the adult population that have no intent to prepare has decreased substantially since 2013 (21% in 2013 vs. 9% in 2020).
- The percentage of the adult population that is not prepared but understands the importance of preparing and intends to do so within the next year has increased by 12 percentage points since 2013 (28% in 2013 vs. 40% in 2020), supporting the notion that there is an increased social awareness of the importance of preparing.
Although the NHS focuses on individual preparedness, these same activities and questions can be applied to your business and local home builders association (HBA). Engaging in preparedness conversations at the organizational level and taking proactive preparedness steps can help members and HBAs ensure they are well-positioned to weather future events.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 01, 2025
Meet at Home with Your Members of CongressNAHB members across the nation can build on the success of the June Legislative Conference by meeting with their lawmakers in their home districts in August to discuss key issues that affect the home building industry.
Jul 31, 2025
How Home Builders Beat the Labor Crunch with This Fast Financing PlanStruggling to secure labor can force builders to make tough decisions: Do you delay a project? Sacrifice profits? Or turn down new opportunities? But smart builders don’t just react — they adapt their financing strategy to meet labor challenges head-on.
Latest Economic News
Jul 31, 2025
Personal Income Rises 0.3% in JunePersonal income increased by 0.3% in June, following a 0.4% dip in May, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The gains in personal income were largely driven by higher wages and social benefits.
Jul 31, 2025
Housing Share of GDP: Second Quarter 2025Housing’s share of the economy registered 16.3% in the second quarter of 2025, according to the advance estimate of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This reading is unchanged from a revised level of 16.3% in the first quarter and is the same as the share one year ago.
Jul 30, 2025
Fed Remains on Pause AgainAt the conclusion of its July meeting, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee once again held the federal funds rate constant at a top rate of 4.5%. However, two members of the committee dissented from the decision (Fed Board Governors Waller and Bowman), the largest number of dissenting votes since 1993.