Emergency Planners Fear Apathy in Storm Preparedness

Despite warnings of a heavier-than-usual hurricane season, the 2007 season drew to a close last week with no major catastrophic events. But while coastal residents breathed a sigh of relief, some emergency planners are worried the public won’t be as concerned about preparedness next year.

The Associated Press’ Jessica Gresko says forecasters and emergency managers are warning that one result of the good year for the country may be increased skepticism when they urge people to stock up on food and to draw up their hurricane evacuation plans for next year.

“Now that we’ve gone a couple of years without major hurricanes, will the public be more apathetic before the next hurricane season? The answer is absolutely,” Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told Gresko. “The further we get away from these types of events … the more complacent people become, and that's the challenge we have to continue to fight.”

This season saw only 14 named storms, Gresko says, which was on the low end of the 13 to 17 government scientists predicted. The five hurricanes didn’t reach the seven to 10 forecast. The two major hurricanes were also below the three to five predicted.

Gerry Bell, a hurricane forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Gresko the season was relatively quiet largely because La Niña, a cooling of the water in the Pacific that normally boosts the formation of hurricanes, had weaker-than-expected effects.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.theledger.com/article/20071128/NEWS/711280447/1039