In May, Motorola Solutions surveyed 1,000 adults across the U.S. to better understand public perceptions about emergency preparedness. The results can be found in the 2023 Natural Disaster and Severe Weather Preparedness Survey report.
While 86% of respondents say that they are at least somewhat concerned about the intensity and frequency of natural disasters increasing in the coming years, only 36% feel very or extremely prepared to face major weather events. Understanding public opinions about personal preparedness, community planning and preferred communication channels can help us all to play a role in safety.
Emergency managers, in both the public and private sectors, develop and lead disaster response efforts so that vulnerabilities and damages are minimized during severe weather events. For nearly two decades, the Rave Mobile Safety team has worked alongside these proactive professionals so that community members and responders alike are receiving severe weather updates via phone, text, email, apps, signage and other modalities. We also help those charged with protecting people, property and places to improve response team collaboration and operational efficiencies. This cohesive approach not only ensures that residents and those on the front lines are well-informed, it helps to reduce the number of non-emergency 9-1-1 calls public safety agencies have to handle in the midst of chaos.
United States policy requires states to have a public alert and warning system that is effective, reliable, integrated, flexible and comprehensive so that people can be communicated with during troubling times. Louisiana and California, two states with significant severe weather challenges, use Rave Alert so that there is consistent, coordinated messaging or targeted outreach before, during and after natural disasters. The City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) just deployed Rave AppArmor technology to meet community members where they are today – on their phones. Their new public-facing app offers residents convenient access to up-to-date safety information, preparedness guidance and other key resources. Later this summer, Chicago OEMC will deploy an employee-facing safety app as well.
Each night on the news, we see snippets of severe weather wreaking havoc. The visuals and stories are always compelling but the real a-ha realization comes when you look at the impact that natural disasters have had in our country since 1980. There have been 341 natural disasters to the tune of more than $2.475 trillion. Already this year, there have been nine confirmed natural disasters in the U.S. that resulted in 99 deaths.
The opinions within this new report can help us as we are solving for safer communities. To learn more, download the report today.
