Majority of Floridians Have Hurricane Plans

A new poll has found that Florida residents are starting to get the message that emergency preparedness pays off, as 82 percent of respondents say they have a plan in place should a hurricane strike. However, the poll also found that other states might not be quite as prepared.

According to an article by Jerome R. Stockfish and Chris Echegaray in the Tampa Tribune, the Mason-Dixon Florida Poll found that 82 percent of respondents have an emergency plan in place, compared to only 48 percent in other coastal states like Texas and Maine.

The poll also found that 54 percent of Florida respondents say they are either extremely vulnerable or somewhat vulnerable to hurricane damage, compared to only 42 percent in the other coastal states.

"We're really encouraged about the ones that have a plan," Mike DeLorenzo, state response chief in the Division of Emergency Management, told Stockfish and Echegaray. "Obviously, we'd like to see 100 percent, but that 82 percent, that's a high number."

However, Stockfish and Echegaray say the survey "also brought some disappointing news for emergency planners: Twenty-one percent of respondents said they probably never would evacuate their homes."

To read the full article, click here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8324266