The Maui Civil Defense Agency wants to gauge if residents are prepared for a disaster.

Currently updating its 2010 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), the Maui Civil Defense Agency invites all residents to participate in a disaster preparedness survey.

The survey, available online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ MauiCountyHMP, may be completed anytime through Friday, July 31, 2015.

It includes questions about residents’ perceptions of natural hazard risks in Maui County; the impacts from natural hazards on their home, neighborhood or workplace; and experiences with hazard insurance.

“We encourage residents to take a few minutes to complete this important survey, to help us save lives and protect property,” said Emergency Management Officer Anna Foust.

“As residents become more aware of the potential hazards that could impact our county, our community becomes less vulnerable, more resilient, and recover more quickly when disaster does strike.”

One of the goals of the HMP is to save lives and protect property by reducing our vulnerability to hazards.

During the course of the update, local leaders and the community will work in tandem to identify risks, assess capabilities and formulate a strategy to reduce disaster vulnerability.

In addition to consulting the best available science and engineering studies, Civil Defense wants to hear residents’ recommendations in preparing for disasters, and identify areas where the county needs to improve.

For more information on the plan update process, visit www.mauicounty.gov/Hazard. Take the survey and help Maui County be better prepared for a disaster.