Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, wild fires. The world is full of disasters that happen hundreds of times each year.

Local governments, as well as state and federal agencies take steps to prepare for these events, and theoretically would use those protocols in the event of zombie apocalypse. However, many Americans still lack basic awareness of their local emergency communications systems.

At the BE Safe America Congressional Briefing presented by Safe America Foundation at the U.S. Capitol, Federal Signal Corporation announced the findings of the 2012 Public Safety Survey, which takes a hard look at how knowledgeable and prepared Americans are for emergencies.

While the survey found that more than 56 percent of Americans believe they are aware of the steps they need to take should disaster strike, the results uncover a shocking lack of knowledge — and even indifference — surrounding emergency alerts and notifications.

“Not only is it necessary to create a thorough preparedness and response plan for an emergency or disaster, it’s critical that people are as educated as possible about the emergency communications systems in place within their communities—which can prove lifesaving,” said Len Pagano, president and CEO, Safe America Foundation. “We were surprised to see just how many people remain unaware of the alerting systems in their area, and even more disconcerting, how many are apathetic in their response to emergency scenarios and communications.”

Conducted for the third consecutive year by Zogby International, the survey found that 71 percent of Americans are unsure if they have a personal alerting and notification system (ANS) in their area, which includes a combination of options for calls, text and email message notifications.

This article appears in its entirety in Zombie Apocalypse Monthly Issue 2. It can be downloaded for free here: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/408784