Statistics Canada will be calling about 600 homes in Abbotsford and Mission for its Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada survey.
Participants will be randomly selected and anyone living at a chosen home aged 15 or over can participate. Participation is voluntary.
The survey will be conducted over the telephone from January to June 2014 and the results will be available in the fall of 2015.
Questions that will be asked relate to risk awareness, social network, community engagement and emergency preparedness, as well as basic demographic information, like health, education, and household income.
The results from this survey will provide information on how well individuals and communities are able to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster or major emergency and may be used to develop emergency management and safety programs. Results will help communities to develop and deliver strategies to improve preparedness and resilience.
More and more people are interested in being prepared for an emergency, said Nancy Bartlett, owner of Life472, a Mission business which sells emergency preparedness kits and educates the public on how to be ready.
"Unfortunately, when other disasters happen, that's when the message gets brought home," she stated. "The more you are prepared, the more you can help others."
Bartlett started her business two years ago after she struggled to find an emergency preparedness kit to purchase.
An emergency kit should include enough food and water for you and your family for 72 hours, whistle, emergency blanket, waterproof matches, as well as copies of your insurance papers, medications, and some cash.
For more information about the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, visit www.statcan.gc.ca/survey-enquete/household-menages/5208-eng.htm.