Survey Finds Nearly One in Three Americans Were Affected by a Natural Disaster Last Year

New poll from Aquasana reveals the impact of recent weather and climate-related events on Americans, including access to clean drinking water

AUSTIN, Texas, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Aquasana, a leading maker of high-performance water filtration solutions for the home, recently conducted a national survey uncovering the far-reaching impact of recent natural disasters on Americans and their ability to access clean water. According to the study, which polled 2,246 U.S. adults in March 2022, nearly one in three Americans (29%) reported being affected by a natural disaster in 2021, with one in six (16%) reporting more than one event last year.

What's more, among the nearly one in three Americans who said they were affected by a natural disaster in 2021, 77% said their access to clean drinking water was impacted – a top priority in any emergency. As the U.S. faces what's predicted to be an above normal hurricane season in 2022, the new survey found that nearly nine in 10 Americans (88%) are at least somewhat concerned about a future natural disaster affecting their access to clean drinking water.

"As a Texas-based company, we've witnessed the devastation of weather disasters first-hand and understand the critical need for clean drinking water, both in the midst of crisis as well as during recovery efforts," said Derek Mellencamp, General Manager of Aquasana. "Our goal in conducting this survey is to help spread awareness about water quality issues, including the growing impact of natural disasters on our ability to access clean, healthy water for our families."

The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported 20 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2021 – second only to 22 disasters in 2020 – along with many other extreme events including earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, heat waves, droughts and more. Of the survey respondents who said they were affected by a natural disaster in 2021, the most common type of event reported was flooding (54%). Earthquakes were reported as the second most common event at 37%, followed by hurricanes or tropical storms at 35%.

Geographically, a few key trends emerged from the study as well. For example, people who live in the South and West regions of the United States were most likely to report they were affected by a natural disaster in 2021 (32%). Additionally, 91% of people in the West said they're at least somewhat concerned about a future natural disaster affecting their access to clean water, making them the most concerned region in the country. Similarly, people who live in urban areas were twice as likely to report they were affected by a natural disaster in 2021 than those in rural or suburban areas (38% vs. 19%). More specifically, those in urban areas were 42% more likely to say they were affected by an earthquake in 2021 than those in rural or suburban areas (17% vs. 12%). In contrast, people who live in the Northeast were 33% less likely to say they were affected by a natural disaster in 2021 than those who live in other regions of the United States.

Aquasana recently partnered with Good360, the global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving, to help distribute water filters to victims of natural disasters. Over the past year, Aquasana donated 47,600 of the company's reusable water filter bottles – enough to provide 4 million gallons of clean drinking water, or the equivalent of nearly 30 million plastic bottles of water – to support families impacted by natural disasters, including Hurricane Ida, wildfires, flooding, the Haiti earthquake and more.

For more information about Aquasana's Natural Disaster Survey, including helpful tips for preparing an emergency water supply, visit aquasana.com.

About Aquasana
Aquasana, an A. O. Smith Corporation company (NYSE-AOS), is dedicated to improving the overall health and wellness of every home by delivering clean, healthy and great-tasting water through its best-in-class water filtration systems. Aquasana's family of award-winning premium water filters – including whole-house filtration systems, shower filters, under sink and countertop filters, reverse osmosis systems and portable filter bottles – provide easy and immediate access to healthy water at home and on the go.

Media Contact

Cindy Young Vanhoutte, Aquasana, 1 512.585.0394, [email protected]

SOURCE Aquasana