ABSTRACT
I n the United States, especially following the shocking terrorist attacks in 2001 and the devastating aermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the public has an increased sense of vulnerability. However, a serious gap remains between what are perceived as real threats and the degree of personal preparedness. As such, many people and their families are still not prepared to deal with an emergency-whether it is a man-made terrorism incident or a natural disaster. Lower income families are even more likely to be unprepared.* In fact, a majority of people rely on “just-in-time” preparedness. In other words, if they are given sucient warning of an impending disaster, only then will they start making plans and take action to obtain or organize what they need to have in their homes or what they need to evacuate quickly and safely.
