Family emergency preparedness is uneven across households. In FEMA’s 2024 National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness, awareness was common, but fewer adults reported a complete emergency plan, known evacuation routes, or participation in a drill. The results below describe reported preparedness among U.S. adults in the survey’s 2024 measurement period; they are percentages for the named group, not forecasts.
Contents
- Overall readiness signals
- Women and men
- Working-age and older adults
- Homeowners and renters
- Plans, communication, and evacuation
- Supplies, money, insurance, and home protection
- Community preparedness
Overall readiness signals
FEMA’s 2024 National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness found that 81% of adults ages 18–59 were aware of preparedness information, compared with 71% of adults age 60+. Disaster experience was reported by 49% of adults ages 18–59 and 36% of adults age 60+. Risk perception followed a similar pattern: 38% for adults ages 18–59 and 25% for adults age 60+.
Preparedness efficacy—the share reporting confidence in being prepared—was 34% among adults ages 18–59 and 26% among adults age 60+. The survey also recorded different intentions among adults who were not prepared. Among adults ages 18–59, 13% said they were not prepared and did not intend to prepare in the next year, 22% intended to start preparing in the next year, and 27% intended to get prepared within six months. Among adults age 60+, the corresponding figures were 12%, 13%, and 20%.
Reported duration of preparedness also differed. Fifteen percent of adults ages 18–59 said they had been prepared for less than a year, while 22% said they had been prepared for more than a year. For adults age 60+, those figures were 14% and 42%.
The broadest household actions were supplies and alerts. Sixty-seven percent of adults ages 18–59 had emergency supplies set aside, 69% were signed up for alerts and warnings, and 66% had homeowners or renters insurance. Among adults age 60+, 72% had supplies set aside, 68% were signed up for alerts and warnings, and 88% had homeowners or renters insurance.
Women and men
The FEMA 2024 survey reported several differences between women and men. Awareness of preparedness information was 76% among women and 80% among men. Disaster experience was 43% among women and 46% among men, while disaster risk perception was 34% for both groups. Preparedness efficacy was 31% among women and 32% among men.
Intentions among people who were not prepared varied by sex. Twelve percent of women said they were not prepared and did not intend to prepare in the next year, compared with 14% of men. Twenty-three percent of women intended to start preparing in the next year, compared with 17% of men. For a six-month goal, the figures were 27% for women and 23% for men.
Fourteen percent of women said they had been prepared for less than a year, while 25% said they had been prepared for more than a year. Among men, the figures were 15% and 31%.
| Reported action | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Alerts and warnings | 69% | 68% |
| Homeowners or renters insurance | 69% | 76% |
| Emergency supplies set aside | 64% | 73% |
| Safeguarded important documents | 62% | 72% |
| Plan to contact family members | 59% | 67% |
| Money set aside for an emergency | 57% | 68% |
| Emergency plan | 52% | 61% |
| Knew evacuation routes | 40% | 52% |
| Participated in an emergency drill | 17% | 25% |
The same survey found that 54% of women and 62% of men had made home improvements to mitigate property damage. Forty percent of women and 48% of men had a plan to communicate with neighbors. Community volunteering was reported by 12% of women and 19% of men.
Working-age and older adults
Age-related differences are especially visible in the practical steps households report. Among adults ages 18–59, 58% had an emergency plan, 65% had a plan to contact family members, and 49% knew their evacuation routes. Among adults age 60+, 52% had an emergency plan, 57% had a family-contact plan, and 39% knew their evacuation routes.
Adults ages 18–59 were more likely to report drills and neighbor communication: 27% participated in an emergency drill and 47% had a plan to communicate with neighbors. For adults age 60+, the figures were 7% and 38%. Volunteering to help the community prepare was reported by 20% of adults ages 18–59 and 4% of adults age 60+.
Older adults reported stronger coverage in several household-protection categories. Emergency supplies were set aside by 72% of adults age 60+, compared with 67% of adults ages 18–59. Safeguarding important documents was reported by 73% of adults age 60+ and 64% of adults ages 18–59. Money set aside for an emergency was reported by 73% of older adults and 58% of working-age adults. Home improvements to mitigate property damage were reported by 52% of older adults and 61% of working-age adults.
Homeowners and renters
Housing status marks another clear difference in FEMA’s 2024 results. Awareness of preparedness information was 79% among homeowners and renters alike. Disaster experience was reported by 44% of homeowners and 46% of renters. Risk perception was 32% among homeowners and 38% among renters, while preparedness efficacy was 32% and 31%, respectively.
Eleven percent of homeowners said they were not prepared and did not intend to prepare in the next year, compared with 16% of renters. Seventeen percent of homeowners intended to start preparing in the next year, compared with 27% of renters. The six-month intention figures were 23% for homeowners and 28% for renters.
| Reported action | Homeowners | Renters |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowners or renters insurance | 87% | 43% |
| Emergency supplies set aside | 73% | 60% |
| Safeguarded important documents | 73% | 53% |
| Money set aside for an emergency | 72% | 43% |
| Emergency plan | 59% | 50% |
| Knew evacuation routes | 47% | 44% |
| Plan to communicate with neighbors | 45% | 42% |
| Participated in an emergency drill | 21% | 21% |
Homeowners reported more than a year of preparedness at 33%, compared with 16% of renters; 16% of homeowners and 13% of renters reported being prepared for less than a year. Home improvements to mitigate property damage were reported by 66% of homeowners and 43% of renters. Alerts and warnings reached 71% of homeowners and 64% of renters.
Plans, communication, and evacuation
Family communication is more common than a complete household plan in several groups. A plan to contact family members was reported by 65% of adults ages 18–59, 57% of adults age 60+, 59% of women, and 67% of men. Among homeowners and renters, the supplied FEMA measures list family-contact results for other demographic groups but do not provide a separate housing-status percentage for this action.
The practical plan measures are lower for evacuation and drills. Forty-nine percent of adults ages 18–59 knew their evacuation routes, compared with 39% of adults age 60+. The corresponding figures were 40% for women and 52% for men, 47% for homeowners and 44% for renters. Emergency-plan coverage was 58% among adults ages 18–59, 52% among adults age 60+, 52% among women, 61% among men, 59% among homeowners, and 50% among renters.
Neighbor communication was reported by 47% of adults ages 18–59 and 38% of adults age 60+. It was reported by 40% of women, 48% of men, 45% of homeowners, and 42% of renters. Emergency-drill participation was 27% among adults ages 18–59 and 7% among adults age 60+, compared with 17% among women and 25% among men. Both homeowners and renters reported 21% participation.
These measures describe separate actions. A household may have supplies without having a family-contact plan, or know an evacuation route without having practiced it. The FEMA results should therefore be read as a set of readiness indicators rather than as one combined preparedness score.
Supplies, money, insurance, and home protection
Emergency supplies were set aside by 67% of adults ages 18–59 and 72% of adults age 60+. The measure was 64% among women and 73% among men, 73% among homeowners, and 60% among renters. Safeguarding important documents was reported by 64% of adults ages 18–59 and 73% of adults age 60+, 62% of women and 72% of men, 73% of homeowners, and 53% of renters.
Financial preparation showed a similar housing difference. Money set aside for an emergency was reported by 58% of adults ages 18–59 and 73% of adults age 60+, 57% of women and 68% of men, 72% of homeowners, and 43% of renters.
Insurance coverage was 66% among adults ages 18–59 and 88% among adults age 60+. It was 69% among women, 76% among men, 87% among homeowners, and 43% among renters. The survey’s homeowners-or-renters-insurance measure is not the same as the broader question of whether every potential disaster cost is covered.
Home improvements to mitigate property damage were reported by 61% of adults ages 18–59 and 52% of adults age 60+. The figures were 54% among women, 62% among men, 66% among homeowners, and 43% among renters. Alerts and warnings were reported by 69% of adults ages 18–59, 68% of adults age 60+, 69% of women, 68% of men, 71% of homeowners, and 64% of renters.
Community preparedness
The FEMA 2024 survey also measured preparedness beyond the household. Volunteering to help the community prepare was reported by 20% of adults ages 18–59 and 4% of adults age 60+. The figures were 12% among women, 19% among men, 16% among homeowners, and 14% among renters.
American Indian or Alaska Native adults reported 88% awareness of preparedness information, 53% disaster experience, 34% disaster risk perception, and 37% preparedness efficacy. Thirteen percent said they were not prepared and did not intend to prepare in the next year; 19% intended to start preparing in the next year; and 22% intended to get prepared within six months. Sixteen percent had been prepared for less than a year, while 30% had been prepared for more than a year.
Among American Indian or Alaska Native adults, 61% had an emergency plan, 60% had a plan to contact family members, 58% had emergency supplies set aside, and 60% had money set aside for an emergency. Sixty-seven percent had made home improvements to mitigate property damage, 65% were signed up for alerts and warnings, and 67% knew their evacuation routes. A plan to communicate with neighbors was reported by 66%, emergency-drill participation by 19%, and volunteering to help the community prepare by 13%.
Together, these figures show why family readiness is best assessed action by action. The 2024 FEMA results identify measurable strengths—such as awareness, supplies, alerts, or insurance—and separate gaps in planning, evacuation knowledge, drills, and community participation for each population group.