Are We Prepared for the Next Disaster? Evidence from Ice Storm

This study examines the impacts that an emergency had on people’s preparedness levels, using the December 2013 Ice Storm in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as a case. A questionnaire consisting of three sections was developed to measure the associated impacts, people’s reactions/opinions, as well as their preparedness levels before and after the ice storm. The goal of the research is not only to discuss the factors that influenced people’s ability to prepare, respond to and recover from the ice storm but also to generate useful insights for future disasters that are similar in nature. Our analysis includes various aspects such as the effectiveness of advance warnings and their ability to disseminate information to mass audiences. The findings show that, most of the respondents believe that they learned a lot about ice storms and their impacts because of their prior experience; a significant majority believe that it is the city’s/municipality’s responsibility to prepare for emergencies like ice storms; home ownership was significantly associated with the previous ice storm preparedness; and, power outage experience was significantly associated with the next ice storm preparedness.