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Post-pandemic self-reliance may be misplaced during Florida’s hurricane season | Column
COVID may have left some residents with a false sense of preparedness.
 
In this 2018 photo debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael litters the ground in Mexico Beach.
In this 2018 photo debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael litters the ground in Mexico Beach. [ GERALD HERBERT | AP ]
Published July 3, 2021|Updated July 3, 2021

After more than a year of staying home during the pandemic, a new sense of self-reliance seems to have translated into better emergency preparedness for most Floridians ... at least that is the perception.

Based on a recent survey conducted by the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs, more than a quarter (26%) of adult Floridians report that they are more prepared for an emergency because of COVID-19. The survey, which used a representative sample of 600 Floridians, found that most residents consider their household at least somewhat prepared for the 2021 hurricane season. Many respondents reported that they could manage at least three days if a hurricane left them without electricity or running water. In fact, more than 75% of households reported having food, water, medicine and other supplies necessary to stay home for an extended period of time, just as many have been doing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christa Remington [ Provided ]

However, as Florida enters the height of hurricane season, researchers worry that this newfound confidence may be misplaced. The survey also captured findings which indicate that this sense of self-reliance may have left some residents with a false sense of preparedness. For many, household emergency readiness did not extend beyond what was needed during quarantine or self-isolation, with hurricane specific items and evacuation plans missing from the list of preparations.

More than half (58%) of those surveyed reported that they did not have an evacuation plan or resources that would help them get out of harm’s way in the event of a disaster, with 27.3% stating that they would be not very likely or unlikely to follow an evacuation order if a category 3 or higher storm threatened their community. A majority of residents also did not have hurricane specific preparedness items such as a NOAA weather radio (56.8%), back up cell phone battery (53.3%) or a stocked emergency kit (51%).

Additionally, the survey shed light on public perceptions surrounding hurricane shelters that could hinder residents from following evacuation orders or utilizing shelters in the event of a major hurricane.

Some of the most significant factors when deciding whether or not to evacuate or seek shelter were worries over the property left behind (76.2%) and fears that residents could not return home immediately after the storm (78%). Other reasons that would impact a decision included fears that shelters are unsafe (67.7%), concerns over shelters not being pet friendly (50.5%) or worries over shelters being uncomfortable (72%). Despite a decrease in COVID-19 rates statewide, many residents are not yet convinced that the risk is over, with more than half of Floridians (52.3%) citing concerns about contracting the illness at a public shelter.

With NOAA expecting three to five major hurricanes this season, public officials should emphasize the importance of preparing for the complexities and dangers of a storm. This is particularly important for the tens of thousands of new residents who have recently migrated to Florida and the more than 12% of Floridians who have yet to experience a natural disaster.

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Public officials should also be quick to address concerns that inhibit preparedness and compliance and work to ensure that people feel safe when seeking shelter. Additionally, officials may want to revisit some policies pertaining to shelters in order to strengthen public confidence and address the concerns expressed by these results, including helping residents more easily identify shelters that are pet friendly.

As we enter the height of hurricane season, these results should be a reminder to public officials to ramp up awareness for those feeling a false sense of readiness after over a year of staying home and to bring new Floridians up to speed on how to safely navigate the hurricane season.

Dr. Christa Remington (clremington@usf.edu) is an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida. The USF study was conducted as an online survey using Prodege MR, a leading market research provider. The sample of 600 Floridians was fielded to be representative of the state’s demographic composition based on region, age, gender, race, and ethnicity. The results are reported with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error +/- 4.