A new poll suggests that even after an active 2008 hurricane season, residents from Texas to Maine have taken no steps to prepare for major storms.
The Mason-Dixon poll was conducted as part of the 2009 National Hurricane Survival Initiative, which was launched at a news conference at the International Hurricane Research Center in Miami at Florida International University. The initiative, which focuses on hurricane-vulnerable states, aims to educate residents on hurricane
preparedness and how to stay safe from the risks they face. Emergency management officials found these poll results to be the most alarming:
- 83% said they have not taken any steps in the past year to make their homes stronger, even after last year’s active season.
- 66% have no hurricane survival kit.
- 62% don’t feel vulnerable to a hurricane or related tornado or flooding.
- 55% do not have a family disaster plan.
Read the full press release (with more survey results) here (PDF).