6 Reasons People Don’t Prepare (And Why They Don’t Hold Up)

Most people don’t ignore emergency preparedness because they don’t care.
They ignore it because life is busy.

Work. Kids. Groceries. Texts. A hundred small things that feel more urgent in the moment.

After 30+ years in disaster response, I’ve heard the same reasons over and over. They all make sense…right up until the moment they don’t.

They all make sense…right up until the moment they don’t.

1. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

She meant to do it. She even talked about it last summer after seeing the wildfires on the news. She looked up what should go in a kit, and she even started a list. Then life kicked back in. Soccer practice. Work deadlines. Dinner. Fatigue. Tomorrow felt like a better day.

Until the evacuation alert came. Then the order quickly followed.

And suddenly tomorrow wasn’t an option anymore.

2. “It won’t happen here.”

I’ve heard this in many neighbourhoods, small towns, and places where people felt safe for decades.

People said it in Lytton. They said it in Fort McMurray.

Disasters don’t check the map and decide who is due. They don’t care how long you’ve lived there or how safe it has always felt. Disasters just show up.

3. “The government will take care of me.”

And they will. But not in the way people think. In those first hours, when the evacuation order is issued, and everyone is trying to leave at the same time, no one is knocking on your door with a plan and a Grab & Go Kit.

That part is on you. The support comes later. The buses, the reception centres, the help. But the first move? That’s yours.

4. “I don’t know where to start.”

This one is real. People feel overwhelmed before they even begin. There is so much information, so many lists, so many “must-haves” that it feels easier to do nothing at all. So days pass. Then months. But preparedness doesn’t start with everything.

It starts small.

A grab-and-go kit.
An out-of-area contact.
A place your family knows to meet.

This is a great place to start and then build from there.

5. “What if I can’t access my kit?”

“What if you can… and there’s nothing there?”

I hear this all the time.

• What if I’m not home?

• What if it’s in the garage?

• What if I have to leave fast?

All fair questions. But here’s the one that matters more:

What if you can access it…and there’s nothing there?

That’s the moment people don’t talk about. Standing there, knowing you had time to prepare and didn’t. That's a tough one to explain.

6. “I work better under pressure.”

Maybe you do. But not when you’re trying to remember what to pack, your kids are asking questions, you don't know where your keys are, the dog is outside, and you don’t have a plan.

This isn’t pressure that brings out your best. It’s pressure that shows what’s missing.

Where do I Start?

Preparedness isn’t about getting everything perfect. It’s about giving yourself and your family a fighting chance when things go sideways.

You don’t rise to the occasion in a disaster. You fall to your level of preparedness.

Start small.

Try PrepBuddy. It will show you where you are and what to do next.
If you’re ready to build a real plan, my online program walks you through it step by step.

Because when it happens, it’s already too late to get your plan together.

If you are open to sharing, I would love to hear the excuse you’ve been using.

Jackie Kloosterboer

Jackie Kloosterboer is a disaster preparedness expert with 30+ years supporting communities through real emergencies across BC and training teams across Canada. She helps families get prepared with simple, practical steps before it’s too late.