On June 27–28, 2012, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross (Red Cross) hosted a workshop to discuss how to improve preparedness messaging to encourage the public to prepare themselves and their families for a disaster. According to a series of surveys conducted by FEMA, the public today is little more prepared to respond to a disaster than it was several years ago. Despite nine years of a three-pronged message to: (a) be informed; (b) make a plan; and (c) build a kit, only about one half of households currently have disaster plans and supplies set aside, and only one-third are aware of local hazards.

After two days of intensive discussions, participants, including academics and researchers, practitioners, and private sector partners, came to an important conclusion—while this is not easy and there is no silver bullet, the potential exists to significantly improve our preparedness messaging strategies.

Source: American Red Cross, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013

Summary Report on Awareness to Action: A Workshop on Motivating the Public to Prepare
http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1908-25045-9125/20130311_awareness_to_action_workshop_report_final_508.pdf