Americans have received many wake-up calls in recent years about disaster preparedness, but so far, too few people have taken any real action.

A survey by the nonprofit Council for Excellence in Government showed that most of us have no real plan for a disaster and do not know much about our community disaster plans. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Gulf Coast hurricanes, you would think we might be making more progress, and it is understandable that emergency management officials are a little frustrated.

The survey asks 10 basic questions about an individual’s knowledge of community disaster plans and emergency broadcast channels, as well as personal preparation such as disaster supply kits and family communication plans.

About 60 of respondents said they had taken first aid, but on the other nine points, the response was 43 percent or less. Only about 30 percent had made plans with family members about communication and only 20 percent had established a meeting place.

The study shows that much of the complacency is probably rooted in personal experience.

About 65 percent of respondents said they had no experience with emergency situations such as floods, hurricanes, fires or tornadoes. The most common lesser emergency was an extended power outage, which about 50 percent had experienced.

Hopefully, that is the worst most of us will face. But a good measure of family preparation and a working knowledge of community plans should be a minimum.

As a New Year’s resolution, we recommend that each family take this quiz, check the results and put your personal preparedness plan into action.