Sharonville, Springdale, Evendale and Woodlawn residents have until Sept. 21 to tell Hamilton County what emergencies worry them most.

The Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (EMHSA) opened an anonymous online survey that will feed directly into the county's 2028 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The survey takes about 10 minutes.

Anyone who lives or works in Hamilton County can participate at hcema.org/Survey2026. Paper copies are available by calling 513-946-8000 or emailing [email protected].

Questions ask whether a household could survive at least three days without electricity or running water, whether anyone in the home would need special help during an evacuation, and what hazards concern residents most. All responses are anonymous and confidential.

EMHSA Assistant Director Ryan McEwan said the agency will share results with local governments, where elected leaders use the data to set mitigation priorities and decide how to spend preparedness dollars.

The survey arrives after a summer of severe storms and flooding. Seventeen tornadoes struck Ohio between Aug. 10 and Aug. 23, killing two people, injuring four and prompting roughly 59 water rescues statewide, according to WLWT. Gov. Mike DeWine requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration on Wednesday, Sept. 2, covering 23 counties including Hamilton.

A preliminary damage assessment found at least 50 homes and businesses destroyed and 806 with major damage across those counties.

Earlier in the summer, July flooding damaged 118 Hamilton County properties that met FEMA criteria, though the county said it likely would not qualify for federal disaster aid because most damage was minor, WLWT reported. FEMA considers Hamilton County among Ohio's highest-risk counties for property flood exposure.

EMHSA Director Nick Crossley underscored that risk in a July 28 briefing to county commissioners. "The number one hazard in Hamilton County is flooding and flash flooding, hands down, just because of the level of damage," Crossley said at the time. He pointed to the financial toll on uninsured homeowners as a driving concern.

The survey is part of National Preparedness Month. Residents who want to stay informed about emergencies can sign up for the Alert Hamilton County notification system, which had more than 30,500 registered users as of the agency's 2024 annual report.

Survey responses will help shape how local officials prioritize mitigation spending and emergency services across the county's 49 jurisdictions.