Natural Disasters
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, chances are you’ve practiced the “drop, cover and hold” drill numerous times in anticipation of a major earthquake predicted for the region. According to a recent PEMCO NW Poll, three out of four Seattle and Portland residents believe that “the big one” will do substantial damage to their communities during their lifetime. Yet the poll found that nearly half say they feel unprepared for a natural disaster, which is an increase in underprepared respondents since the last time the Seattle-based insurer asked residents in 2015.
The PEMCO Poll confirmed that 74% of respondents agree that a major quake will rattle the region in their lifetime. Among them, those over 35 are most certain, with 80% reporting that they think it’s at least somewhat likely that a serious earthquake will threaten people and property around the Northwest.
Do you feel prepared? Have you taken any steps to ensure that you and your family have a game plan should a major quake rattle the region? Here’s what our poll found:
In your lifetime how likely do you think it is that there will be a major earthquake in the Pacific Northwest that does substantial and serious damage to people and property?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 35 | 28 | 32 | 28 | Very likely |
| 40 | 45 | 46 | 46 | Somewhat likely |
| 15 | 17 | 14 | 19 | Not too likely |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Not at all likely |
If a natural disaster happened, how prepared are you?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | Very prepared |
| 45 | 39 | 51 | 50 | Somewhat prepared |
| 43 | 53 | 38 | 43 | Not prepared |
If a natural disaster happened, how prepared are you?
| Seattle | Portland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| 13 | 6 | 9 | 6 | Very prepared |
| 56 | 35 | 43 | 34 | Somewhat prepared |
| 30 | 56 | 46 | 59 | Not prepared |
Does your family have an emergency kit with basic items like food, water, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and first-aid kit?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 56 | 52 | 51 | 44 | Yes |
| 40 | 44 | 46 | 54 | No |
Did your household put together your own kit, or did you purchase a kit that was pre-packaged?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 81 | 79 | 81 | 86 | Put together our own kit |
| 17 | 20 | 17 | 12 | Purchased it pre-packaged |
Has your family established a designated place where everyone should meet in case of an emergency?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 37 | 36 | 29 | 33 | Yes |
| 59 | 61 | 68 | 66 | No |
Some natural disasters take us by surprise and leave people very little time to locate their most important possessions. In the face of a sudden emergency, how confident are you that you could quickly locate and retrieve your most important possessions?
| July 2022 | November 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Portland | |
| 21 | 20 | 15 | 18 | Very confident—I’ve given it thought and I know where to find and save my most important possessions |
| 45 | 49 | 51 | 43 | Somewhat confident |
| 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | Not too confident |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 13 | Not at all confident |
Some natural disasters take us by surprise and leave people very little time to locate their most important possessions. In the face of a sudden emergency, how confident are you that you could quickly locate and retrieve your most important possessions?
| Seattle | Portland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| 28 | 14 | 25 | 15 | Very confident—I’ve given it thought and I know where to find and save my most important possessions |
| 46 | 43 | 50 | 48 | Somewhat confident |
| 18 | 29 | 16 | 26 | Not too confident |
| 3 | 10 | 7 | 10 | Not at all confident |
About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll
PEMCO Mutual 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, 420 respondents in the Seattle Metro (King, Snohomish, Pierce Counties) region and 418 respondents in the Portland Metro (Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, Washington Counties) region yields an accuracy of +/- 5.0% 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.
Share on social media