Emergency Preparedness
According to the 2020 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, two-thirds of Seattle-area residents (66%), and more than half of Portlanders (57%) said they’ve prepared an emergency kit with necessities such as food, water and first-aid supplies. This represents double-digit increases compared to 2015, when only 51% of residents in Seattle and 44% in Portland said the same. How about you? Do you have an emergency kit ready?
Does your family have an emergency kit with basic items like food, water, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight and first-aid kit?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | 57 | Yes |
| 32 | 40 | No |
| 2 | 3 | Don’t know / No answer |
Does your family have an emergency kit with basic items like food, water, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight and first-aid kit?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own | Rent | Own | Rent | |
| 72 | 55 | 62 | 48 | Yes |
| 27 | 42 | 36 | 48 | No |
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Don’t know / No answer |
Does your family have an emergency kit with basic items like food, water, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight and first-aid kit?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2015 | 2020 | 2015 | |
| 66 | 51 | 57 | 44 | Yes |
| 32 | 46 | 40 | 54 | No |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Don’t know / No answer |
When did you originally put this emergency kit together? Was it before the coronavirus pandemic, at the time the pandemic started, or some time after that?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 43 | Don’t have a kit / Don’t know if they have a kit |
| 56 | 50 | Kit was in place before the pandemic |
| 7 | 3 | Kit was put together at start of pandemic |
| 2 | 2 | Kit was put together after start of pandemic |
| 1 | 2 | Don’t know |
When was the last time you assessed the items you have in your emergency kit, or added new items that you might want?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 43 | Don’t have a kit / Don’t know if they have a kit |
| 37 | 29 | Before the pandemic |
| 13 | 11 | At the time the pandemic started |
| 11 | 10 | Sometime after the pandemic started |
| 5 | 7 | Don’t know |
When you think back to before the pandemic, how prepared would you say your household was for a natural disaster?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 13 | Very prepared |
| 55 | 55 | Somewhat prepared |
| 23 | 31 | Not prepared |
When you think back to before the pandemic, how prepared would you say your household was for a natural disaster?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own | Rent | Own | Rent | |
| 24 | 12 | 13 | 12 | Very prepared |
| 57 | 51 | 60 | 47 | Somewhat prepared |
| 18 | 35 | 26 | 40 | Not prepared |
When you think back to before the pandemic, how prepared would you say your household was for a natural disaster?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2015 | 2020 | 2015 | |
| 21 | 8 | 13 | 6 | Very prepared |
| 55 | 51 | 55 | 50 | Somewhat prepared |
| 23 | 38 | 31 | 43 | Not prepared |
And now, if another natural disaster happened, how prepared do you think your household is today?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 16 | Very prepared |
| 57 | 59 | Somewhat prepared |
| 18 | 23 | Not prepared |
About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll
PEMCO Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that
asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current
Northwest issues. The sample size, 578 respondents in Washington and 427 in Oregon, yields an
accuracy of +/- 4.2 and 4.8% respectively at the 95% confidence level. In other words, if this study
were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error
range.
Supplemental interviews were conducted with people living in the Seattle metro area, including King,
Snohomish and Pierce counties, and those in the Portland metro area, including Clackamas, Marion,
Multnomah and Washington counties. The sample size, 578 respondents in the Seattle area and 509 in
the Portland area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2% and +/- 4.4% respectively at the 95% confidence
level.
About PEMCO Insurance
PEMCO Insurance is the Defender of Your Northwest, providing auto, home, renters and boat coverage.
We are consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee expertise and social impact. Our
Mutual Good programs raise the achievement levels for youth in education; build stronger, greener
environments; and increase safety at home, on the road and at play. Our mission: Free our
communities to worry less and live more.
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