Hurricane Preparedness Survey Results

The following are the results of a survey that was originally published on a local south Florida TV station’s site (you can find that article here). These results illustrate why despite the overabundance of Hurricane Preparedness information available this year that a blog like this is needed. The overall lack of knowledge is what makes us hurricane country citizens vulnerable to scams.

The survey, that included residents who live within 30 miles of the coast, found some startling results. 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
• 13 percent said they might not or would not evacuate even if ordered to leaveExperts say that not evacuating could leave tens of thousands of lives at risk. Of the 13 percent of residents who said they are responsible for an elderly or disabled person, one in three had no disaster plan for them if a hurricane threatened. Correct Information Could Save Your Life
  
• One in five people surveyed said they would leave only 12 to 24 hours before a storm makes landfall, and one in three said they would drive as far as possible, trying to outrun the storm. (Emergency managers say residents should only go as far as necessary to find a safe shelter outside the evacuation zone.)
• The deadly threat of storm surge was one of the most serious knowledge gaps revealed by the survey. Of those surveyed, 68 percent did not know storm surge represents the greatest potential for loss of life from a hurricane. (Experts say storm surge can account for deaths well inland yet 13 percent of coastal residents said they would not or might not evacuate even if ordered to do so.)
• The survey also revealed as many as a third of residents may not be adequately insured. One in three of those surveyed said it’s been three years or longer since they reviewed their insurance coverage and an equal number said they didn’t have or weren’t sure if they had replacement coverage. Given the huge growth in property values in many areas, these residents may not have adequate coverage to rebuild if they suffered catastrophic losses.
• In addition, more than half of those surveyed thought their insurance policies covered flood damage or weren’t sure. In fact, homeowners only have flood protection if they have purchased federal flood insurance.
• More than one in four surveyed said it’s government’s responsibility to provide water, food, medicine and shelter in the first few days after a hurricane - or weren’t sure who should be responsible. (Officials say every resident should have a three-day supply of food, water and medicines.)
• Nearly half said they would not wait for officials to declare it safe to return, but would return to a hurricane-struck area as soon as the storm passed. (Most deaths associated with hurricanes happen after the storm.)
• Nearly half said their employers likely would not know where they were going or how to reach them after a storm. (Officials say recovery depends on businesses having a plan to get back into operation quickly after a storm, which requires knowing how to reach their workforce.)

Other problems pointed out by the survey included:

• 94 percent didn’t know that garage doors are the structural component most likely to fail during a hurricane. (Garage doors can be easily strengthened at modest cost with a reinforcement kit.)
• 70 percent wrongly thought most tornadoes occur within three miles of the eye of the storm. (Tornadoes associated with land-falling hurricanes are spawned in rain bands that can occur hundreds of miles from the eye of the storm.)
• 81 percent did not know that storm intensity is the least reliable forecasting projection. (A Category 1 or 2 storm could be a Category 4 or 5 at landfall.)
• 50 percent still thought masking tape would help keep windows from shattering. (Masking tape offers no protective value at all.)
• 67 percent thought candles or kerosene lamps are suggested items to use in the event of a power failure. (Emergency experts warn that candles and kerosene lamps are significant safety hazards.)