emse232

Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management

Crisis and Emergency Management

November 2008 Volume 15 - Number 2

International Disaster Update...

Hurricane Preparedness: Apathy in Orlando

By: Elise Letanosky

I lived in Central Florida, right outside of Orlando in Orange County, for about 22 years. In that time I remember being acutely aware of the potential dangers of hurricanes, particularly to the state of Florida. The news regularly reported on the status of tropical storms and hurricanes. Myself, and my family were also personally affected by hurricanes on occasion with some damage to our homes and trees. One of the main reasons my family decided to get rid of our condo on the coast was because the coast of repairs following the storms was getting too high.

However, I believe that the seriousness of the potential danger was not truly absorbed. Orlando, being in the interior of Florida, does not face as direct a threat as the coast and particularly the Florida Keys. I believe that it is the comparative safety of Orlando that encouraged many residents not to take the threat of hurricanes all that seriously. Additionally, as often is the case, time helps people forget. For example, I was seven in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit Florida as a category 4 storm. Andrew caused $30 billion in property damage. However, by the time I was a young adult so many years had passed without a storm as destructive as Andrew that I believe it had slowly slipped out of many Floridians consciousnesses. I can say from myself that I did not always prepare or react in a way that was up to the standard of most preparedness guidelines for the area that I lived in. For example, here is a list of preparations recommended by the Orange County Government:

1. Know your home’s vulnerability.

2. Locate a safe room.

3. Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet.

4. Have a single out of state contact that the whole family knows.

5. Make a plan for pets.

6. Have post emergency telephone numbers by your phone.

7. Check your insurance coverage.

8. Stock non-perishable emergency supplies and a disaster supply kit.

9. Use a NOAA weather radio.

10. Take First Aid, CPR and disaster preparedness classes.

Of these ten items, my family actively did 3 of them. We did have proper insurance coverage, did have a safe room in our home that the whole family knew about (an interior room with no windows), and many of us were certified in first aid and CPR (mainly for jobs rather than hurricane preparedness). If we thought the storm threat was particularly severe we might stock up on some additional items like batteries and water but never came close to having all of the items recommended in the “disaster supply kit.” We never boarded up our home or had hurricane shutters. I have to admit that I even did some things that would be considered quite unsafe such as driving out in an affected area directly following the storm, went outside during the storms, and even participated in a “hurricane party” or two. I almost looked forward to hurricane season because I knew I would at least be getting out of a couple days of school do to cancelations for severe weather.

My attitude toward the hurricane threat was fairly representative of many other residents of Central Florida. I believe my apathetic stance was not a lack of effort on the part of the government or the media to protect us. They did what they could do with regular broadcasts and updates. I believe it had more to do with people’s inherent tendency to “forget” and to believe that they are safe despite a large possibility that they may not be. Aside from making the resources and information available to the population I am not sure what else FEMA or the federal, state, or local governments can do. It will be up to the residents to step up and do what they need to do to protect themselves during hurricane season. For many people in Orlando, sadly, I believe it might take another severe storm to threaten Central Florida before they actually do this.

Other Resources

Central Florida Heritage Foundation, Orlando: 150 years of Hurricanes and Tropical Storms http://www.cfhf.net/orlando/hurricane.htm

Orange Country Florida, Hurricane Preparedness http://www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/ocfrd/ocoem/hurricaneprep.htm?REDID={5C0B3A91-F646-4557-AB25-611092A02368}

FEMA, Florida Disaster History, http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters_state.fema?id=12#diz

City of Orlando, Hazards: Hurricane Safety Procedures,

http://www.cityoforlando.net/emergency/haz/hurricane_procedures.htm