Gulf, Atlantic coast residents half-prepared for hurricanes

Average insured homeowners throughout Gulf and Atlantic coastal communities have taken only half the steps that would best position them to recover from a major storm, according to a new Hurricane Readiness Index released in July.The Index is based on a survey that asked 4,200 people who live in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal regions whether they had taken eight key preparedness steps. These steps included whether they have an inventory of their possessions, whether they feel they have enough homeowners or federal flood insurance, and whether they have critical documents ready to go in case of evacuation. The poll was taken for seven of the leading property and casualty insurance companies in the United States.The survey-wide Index average is 48%. Respondents in coastal Louisiana topped the chart, having taken 60% of the steps. Coastal Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia have taken 58%, while Floridians also fared better than the national average, with index numbers from 52 to 58%. Those in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts and Maine have taken only about one-third of the steps, with Index ratings from 36 to 39%. “People who’ve heard weeks and months of talk about getting ready are getting the message, to a point,” according to Dr. Bob Sheets, former director of the National Hurricane Center, who presented the poll results at a recent news conference in Washington. “Those who’ve been through hurricanes are naturally more ready than those who have not,” Sheets added. “But even people who live in historically hurricane-prone areas indicate they’ve taken only about half the steps needed to be ready to recover should a hurricane strike again. And too many folks up north just don’t want to believe a hurricane will hit them.”