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Household Food and Water Emergency Preparedness Practices Across the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2021

Erin Hiatt ,
Carla Belliard ,
Michelle A. Lloyd Call ,
Laura K. Jefferies ,
Madalyn Kener ,
Dennis L. Eggett  and
Rickelle Richards
Erin Hiatt
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Carla Belliard
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Michelle A. Lloyd Call
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Laura K. Jefferies
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Madalyn Kener
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Dennis L. Eggett
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Rickelle Richards*
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
*
Corresponding author: Rickelle Richards, Email: rickelle_richards@byu.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate food and water storage practices in the United States, including the extent that government emergency preparedness guidelines were followed.

Methods:

Qualtrics panelists (n = 572) completed a 142-item online survey in August 2014. Cognitive interviews (n = 5) and pilot data (n = 14) informed survey development. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. Open-ended responses related to water storage preparation were classified into 5 categories.

Results:

Many respondents reported being somewhat or well prepared to provide food and water for their households during a large-scale disaster or emergency. Only 53% met Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines to have water last at least 3 days. Based on respondents’ self-report, it appeared that those who prepared personally-filled containers for water did not carefully follow FEMA instructions. Most respondents had non-perishable foods available, with 96% meeting the FEMA guidelines of at least 3 days of storage.

Conclusion:

Households were generally prepared to provide food and, to a lesser extent, water in emergency situations, but were not consistently following FEMA guidelines. Additional easy-to-follow, evidence-based information may better help citizens accurately implement food and water storage emergency preparedness guidelines.

Keywords

emergency preparednessfood storagewaterdisaster
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , June 2022 , pp. 1029 - 1037
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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