Poll: Most say U.S. still unprepared for disasters

A poll finds that most people think the United States remains unprepared for handling natural disasters, five years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.

The survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center says that nearly 6 in 10, or 57 percent, say the country is not better prepared for another disaster like a hurricane.

Roughly equal numbers of Democrats, Republicans and independents share that gloomy outlook.

The poll also finds that nearly 7 in 10 think progress has been made rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf. People in the South — which includes Gulf Coast states — feel most strongly about it, with 75 percent of them saying progress has been made.