Natural Hazard Survey
1. How long have you lived in your current town or city? _____________
2. What is your hometown zip code? ___________
3. In your lifetime, which of the following types of natural hazards have you experienced? (check
all that apply)
a. Drought
b. Flooding
c. Hurricane/tropical storm
d. Fire
e. Tsunami
f. Earthquake
g. Volcanic eruption
h. Sink hole
i. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
j. Severe winter storm
k. Tornado/Cyclone
l. Excessive temperatures
m. Groundwater contamination
n. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
o. Ice storm
p. Landslide/Avalanche
q. Other (please specify) ___________
4. Which of the following types of natural hazards are possible in your current town/city or region?
(check all that apply)
a. Drought
b. Flooding
c. Hurricane/tropical storm
d. Fire
e. Tsunami
f. Earthquake
g. Volcanic eruption
h. Sink hole
i. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
j. Severe winter storm
k. Tornado/Cyclone
l. Excessive temperatures
m. Groundwater contamination
n. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
o. Ice storm
p. Landslide/Avalanche
q. Other (please specify) ____________
5. In terms of risk, what do you believe is the likelihood that the following natural hazards could
happen in your current town/city or region in the next 10 years (1 – highly unlikely 2- unlikely, 3somewhat likely, 4 - highly likely, DK - don’t know)
a. Drought
b. Flooding
c. Hurricane/tropical storm
d. Fire
e. Tsunami
f. Earthquake
g. Volcanic eruption
h. Sink hole
i. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
j. Severe winter storm
k. Tornado
l. Excessive temperatures
m. Groundwater contamination
n. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
o. Ice storm
p. Landslide/Avalanche
6. How would you rank the following in terms of vulnerability in your area to natural hazards?
(please mark one box per item: 1 - not vulnerable, 2 - low vulnerability, 3 - somewhat
vulnerable, 4 - highly vulnerable, DK - don’t know)
a. Food supply
b. Water supply
c. General residences
d. Hospitals
e. College
f. Schools (K-12)
g. Senior Centers
h. Religious Institutions
i. Public Transportation
j. Roads and Bridges
k. Shopping Centers
l. Government buildings
m. Businesses
n. Indigenous communities
o. Minority communities
p. Impoverished communities
q. Other (please specify) ____________
7. How concerned are you about the impacts of natural hazards in your current town/city or region
(e.g. property damage, loss of life, economic impacts, etc.)? (please select from the following: 1 not concerned, 2- somewhat concerned, 3 - very concerned, 4 - extremely concerned, DK - don’t
know)
a. Drought
b. Erosion – coastal or stream bed
c. Flooding
d. Hurricane/tropical storm
e. Fire
f. Tsunami
g. Earthquake
h. Volcanic eruption
i. Sink hole
j. Severe storms (wind, lightening, hail)
k. Severe winter storm
l. Tornado
m. Excessive temperatures
n. Groundwater contamination
o. Expansive soils (ground swelling)
p. Ice storm
q. Landslide/Avalanche
8. If a tornado occurred right now and you are in a house or building, what would you do?
a. go into a basement or, if a basement is not available, go to the center of a stable
structure
b. go outside and find a low area (e.g., ditch) to lie down in until the storm passes
c. I don’t know
9. If a tornado occurred right now and you are in a mobile home, what would you do?
a. find the center of your structure or a bathtub to lie in until the storm passes
b. go outside and find a low area (e.g., ditch) to lie down in until the storm passes
c. I don’t know
10. If a tornado occurred right now and you are in your car, what would you do?
a. try to outrun the tornado to a safe location
b. try to find a bridge to park under until the storm passes
c. find a building (e.g., nearby store or restaurant) to take shelter in until the storm passes
or, if no shelter is available, park your car in the lowest-lying nearby area, put your head
down and wait.
d. I don’t know
11. If an earthquake occurred right now, what would you do?
a. drop, cover and hold
b. go stand in a door frame
c. run outside and get away from buildings
d. I don’t know
12. If an earthquake occurred right now and you were near the ocean, what would you do?
a. go to high ground as soon as the shaking stops
b. stay put until someone informs you whether or not you should evacuate to higher
ground
c. I don’t know
13. Have you ever participated in a natural hazard drill or community awareness/preparedness
exercise? (check all that apply)
a. Volcano
b. Earthquake
c. Tsunami
d. Tornado
e. Fire
f. Other (please specify) ____________
14. Do you have an emergency kit?
a. Yes
b. No
c. I don’t know
15. Which of the following emergency supplies do you have readily available? (check all that apply)
a. Bottled water
b. Non-perishable food
c. First aid kit
d. Radio and batteries
e. Dust masks
f. Gasoline
g. Evacuation plan
16. Do you feel prepared for a natural disaster?
a. Yes
b. No
c. I don’t know
17. Please rank how prepared you are for the probable impacts of natural hazard events likely to
occur in your current town/city or region. Rank on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 representing the least
prepared to 5 representing the most prepared or DK – don’t know).
a. Power outage
b. No clean water
c. Inhibited transportation
d. Lack of access to stores
e. Lack of access to emergency services
18. Why do you think you are prepared for the probable impacts from natural hazard events that
may occur within your current town/city or region? (Check all that apply)
a. Emergency preparedness information from a government source (e.g. federal, state, or
local emergency management)
b. Locally provided news or other media information
c. Schools and other academic institutions
d. Attended meetings that have dealt with disaster preparedness
e. Other – please specify ___________
19. Information on the impacts of how to prepare for a natural disaster can be disseminated to the
public in various ways. Of the methods described below, please identify the top three ways
which would be most effective in helping you make you feel safer and better able to withstand
the impact of natural hazard events (check three)
a. Printed Media
i. Newspaper
ii. Telephone book
iii. Informational brochures
iv. Books
v. Magazines
vi. Posters
b. Public forums
i. Public meetings
ii. Workshops
iii. Schools
iv. Church
v. Public library
vi. Academic institutions
c. Internet
d. Television
i. TV news
ii. TV advertisements
iii. Documentaries
e. Radio
i. Radio news
ii. Radio advertisements
f. Public awareness timeframe
i. flood awareness week
ii. winter storm preparedness month
iii. volcano week
iv. shake out
g. Other (please specify) __________
20. If you relocated to this area, did you consider the possible occurrence of natural hazards where
you moved?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know/NA
21. If you answered “no” to question 20, would knowing more about local natural hazards have
influenced your decision to move to this area?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know/NA
22. Rank the following from 1 to 5 in terms of who is most responsible (1) to least responsible (5) for
you and/or your family’s safety during and following a natural event?
a. I am responsible
b. My parents are responsible
c. Local emergency response organizations are responsible (police, fire department)
d. Local government agencies
e. Federal government agencies
23. Which age group are you in?
a. 18-24
b. 25-34
c. 35-44
d. 45-54
e. 55-64
f. 65 or older
24. Gender
a. Female
b. Male
c. Other (please specify)
25. Which of the following best describes the situation where you live? (please choose one)
a. Own a house
b. Rent a house
c. Own a condominium or townhouse
d. Rent an apartment
e. Live in a dorm
f. Live at home with family
g. Other (please specify) _________
26. Which of the following categories do you think best describes your yearly household income:
a. 0-24,999
b. 25,000-49,999
c. 50,000-74,999
d. 75,000-99,999
e. Over 100,000
f. Don’t Know
27. Which best reflects the highest level of education you have completed?
a. High School Diploma
b. College Degree (2 or 4 year)
c. Graduate Degree (Masters, Ph.D., etc.)
d. Currently in college (undergraduate)
e. Currently in college (graduate student)
f. None of the above
28. Please indicate the name of the student who sent you this survey. IF you are a student in the
course, please type in your name and check yes for ‘I am currently in the course’.
Student name_____________________________
I am currently in the course (1 - yes/2 - no)
I am not in the course (1 - yes/2 - no)