While the majority of Houstonians say they feel prepared for natural disasters, a recent survey by Rice University found that income was a determining factor in a household's preparedness.
According to the survey, Lower-income households reported a lack of preparedness for natural emergencies, with 49% of participants from households making less than $25,000 saying they would be "not at all" or "not too prepared" if disaster struck.
Those in that financial bracket were less likely than those making $150,000 or more to take steps to make their homes safer — such as documenting and insuring property, and saving for a rainy day. Additionally, those making under $25,000 were also least likely to own a generator.
Daniel Potter, the co-director of the Houston Population Research Center at the Kinder Institute, said that organizations like West Street Recovery and United Way can assist low-income residents in preparing for natural disasters and argued that staying connected to alerts and necessary networks is one of the best ways to prepare for emergencies.
"Houston, unfortunately, is a 12-month-a-year disaster zone, and so it’s not just about paying attention during hurricane season, but getting plugged in and being aware of what’s going on throughout the year to make sure folks are ready to be prepared," Potter said. "It’s not going to stop that disaster from happening, but it’ll hopefully situate people to be better able to recover."
Out of 10 precautionary actions included in FEMA's National Household Survey, Houston-area residents reported having taken five on average — such as signing up for weather reports and insuring their property. However, actions such as making emergency plans and practicing drills received considerably less attention.
The survey also collected responses on generator ownership, the importance of which was highlighted when millions were without power after Hurricane Beryl hit Houston in 2024.
The survey showed that 49% of participants who purchased generators did so during or after Beryl. However, well over half of Houstonians did not have generators, according to the survey. Households making less than $25,000 were the least likely to own one.
In Montgomery County, over half of respondents reported that they owned a generator, compared to 38% in Harris and 35% in Fort Bend.
The report also showed that there was an imbalance of generator ownership within neighborhoods. It found that 70% of Magnolia residents have generators, while only 18% in the Medical Center, Museum District, and Third Ward possess one.
"And so, when you look through all of these different preparedness steps, some of them that have a little bit of a price tag attached to them are going to be a little bit more challenging for people to do who are earning less money," Potter said. "Whereas for folks that are making more money, they may find that a little bit easier to do, and so this ultimately contributes to people taking different numbers of steps based upon the resources that they have," Potter said.
The survey included Fort Bend and Montgomery counties for the first time. The Greater Houston Community Panels' scope will start including Galveston County in late 2026 to early 2027.
Resources and guides to boost disaster readiness can be found at Txready.org.
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