Hurricane Info Website Launched; Poll Shows Coastal Residents Unprepared

The launch of a new National Hurricane Survival Initiative and a new website that answers frequently asked questions about hurricanes and enables consumers to judge their readiness for such an event has been launched by the National Weather Center in Miami, the Salvation Army and the State Emergency Response Team of Florida. Travelers insurance is one of the sponsors of the site.

“Katrina was quite a national wake-up call, yet it seems too many residents are still asleep,” Max Mayfield, National Hurricane Center director said in Miami. “We’re facing another active and potentially deadly season. It’s vital that residents of hurricane-vulnerable states take the threat seriously and get prepared.”

The site gives key hurricane statistics, including a Mason-Dixon poll indicating that coastal residents are still unprepared for the hurricane season, don’t take the threat of hurricanes seriously and have significant gaps in what they know about hurricanes, even those who live within 30 miles of the coast.

Of those surveyed:

56 percent don’t feel vulnerable to a hurricane or related tornado or flooding;

60 percent have no family disaster plan;

68 percent have no hurricane survival kit;

83 percent have taken no steps to make their homes stronger; and

13 percent said they might not or would not evacuate even if ordered to leave, leaving tens of thousands of residents at great risk.

Overall, Florida residents, who have weathered the most storms by far, and residents of Southern states were more prepared and knew more about hurricanes than those in more northern states. But coastal residents who live within 30 miles of the coast were no more prepared nor did they fare better on a quiz of hurricane facts than those who live further inland.

“We are beginning to make progress in creating a culture of preparedness among Florida residents,” Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings said. “But, as the last hurricane season taught us, hurricanes are unpredictable, and no one is immune. The next target could be Texas, Alabama, North Carolina or even New York. All these residents need to be informed and ready.”

The site includes a storm-readiness checklist, information about Hurricane Katrina, “Hurricane 2006 and the National Hurricane Survival Test,” and 10 storm survival questions that could save lives.

The website is at www.hurricanesafety.org. It contains large photos and video clips, so be prepared to allow a while for everything to download.

Source: National Hurricane Center

Topics Florida Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane