Images from natural disasters — flooding, fires, heat “domes” baking large swaths of countries around the world — have blanketed the media. On the local front, Tropical Storm Calvin is making a move toward Hawaii island, at a minimum, but most people here may not be readying for such things as much as they should be.

Past observations of last-minute stampedes to the stores to stock up have been indicators that families let disaster preparedness slide, but now there’s at least some harder data to back that up.

A survey of 1,006 households, conducted by a University of Hawaii West Oahu research team, found that only 12% report having the 14 days of emergency supplies that Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) recommends.

Pair that number with the 56% who say they believe they are properly supplied, and there’s plainly a disconnect between perception and reality. The cause, at least according to this survey, may be insufficient communication of the real needs in case of a disaster. Only 56% statewide report they were familiar with recommendations by federal authorities and HI-EMA.

People don’t know what they don’t know, in other words.

The report, “Assessing Households’ Emergency Preparedness in Hawai‘i,” was conducted by sustainable community food systems professor Albie Miles and sociology professor Konstantinos Zougris.

It’s still in its preliminary form, to be followed by a technical report later this year, and is still being peer reviewed, according to the university.

But the picture outlined in this data already seems alarmingly clear. Should a major disaster strike the islands with crippling effect, this isolated state could struggle to recover. And government should take recommended steps to improve outreach and bolster the distribution of food and supplies needed for health and safety.

In addition to the collection of households’ socioeconomic statistics, the survey focused on: attitudes and concerns about emergency preparedness; actual preparedness for water, food and supplies; and overall familiarity with the state’s emergency preparedness recommendations.

In general, hurricanes are the disasters that concerned the largest sector of the population statewide. Not surprisingly to those who remember the devastation of Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992, the highest degree of concern, at 79%, was reported on Kauai that got hit with full force.

What has changed in the intervening years? Climate change is broadly recognized as a factor that has intensified the effect of weather-related disasters. The force of the floods on the East Coast, the fury of the fires from California to Canada, all have had stunning impact.

Hawaii is not immune from the repercussions of climate change, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which last week reported that the zone of severe drought conditions — and wildfire risks — has enlarged on Maui.

Solutions, beyond the usual “be prepared” advisories, include stepping up the way the state and counties communicate. Most households report learning about preparedness from family and friends; better use of community resources to get the word out could improve that.

Also, the idea of creating resiliency, not only through individual households but through regional “pre-recovery pods” where emergency food could be stored and geographic hubs for shelters, is a good one.

In a state where households are challenged by finances and storage space, disaster preparedness can be hard. This only underscores the importance of pooling resources, driven by government and private partners, to meet the needs. The bottom line: Hawaii is not ready — but must be.