When Will We Be Ready for the Next “Big One?”

The Florida legislature is debating over how to deal with the issue of hurricane preparedness in a state constantly battered by hurricanes. Can the state ever be truly prepared to deal with a hurricane? Not according to one vocal Florida resident.

In an opinion piece on the CenterDaily.com website, writer Carl Hiaasen says the “fact is, urban South Florida will never be prepared for a major hurricane. The idea of evacuating six million people is ludicrous, and the vast majority will be either stuck on the highways or stuck in their homes.”

Hiaasen says he’s concerned that if a slow-moving Category 4 or 5 storm strikes head-on in any place from West Palm Beach to South Miami, we can most certainly “plan on mass destruction, long-term shortages of fuel and food, disorder in the streets and, of course, darkness. There's no other possible scenario,” he adds, “unless they bulldoze the whole peninsula, boot everybody out and start over.”

According to Hiaasen, cities and counties in South Florida don’t look to future development with hurricanes in mind, but instead design road systems, high-rises and subdivisions to maximize population growth.