Poll-1 in 3 wouldn't evacuate for a Hurricane

[caneman]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19922991/

[DanKellFla]

Doesn't the saying go, "Run from the water, hide from the wind" ? I am 5 miles inland and I don't plan on evacuating unless I am told to do so by the authorities. If I was living in an area affected by a storm surge or in a mobil home, I would evacuate early. But, I am lucky. I live within a 5 minute walk of a shelter.

[Andy_L]

the same 1-in-3 haven't investigated what the Darwin Awards really are and just think it would be a cool trophy to hang on the mantle

[Jagno]

I use to think that these polls were somewhat accurate but since 2005 I have realized that they are anything but a true guage of things. I live in one of the "within 20 mile" coastal areas that they claim to have interviewed and not one single person I have asked has even heard of such a poll. Furthermore, they claim to have done this as a phone poll. That had to be a challenge since the majority of us never went back to using land lines not to mention land lines still aren't up in areas where massive reconstruction still hasn't begun full scale.

[jrod]

They've issued a mandatory evacuation for my home town 5 times in the since '95: Erin, Bertha, Floyd, Francis and Jeanne. I was living in Cocoa Beach which is a barrier island. I only left for Floyd and it didn't even hit, Bertha was also a miss and Erin was barely a hurricane, mando evacuations from sturdy houses were not necessary. I'll stay again when the give issue a mando evac for anything less than a moderate cat 3. Evacuation is a nightmare,and I know of too many people who ended up worse off with inland flooding, down powerlines, ect... where they are taking shelter. I love the thrill of riding out a storm.

[yzerfan]

We're seven miles inland. 45 feet above MSL in an area that does not flood when you get 30+ inches of rain in 24 hours, well-build home with a newer building code roof, got rid of the weak trees and landscaping during and after Ivan. Underground utilities so we never lost power during Ivan.

It's not a mandatory evacuation area, and we'd probably stay for the next big one.

[Cyclone1]

I don't get outta bed for anything under a cat 3.

[Hurricaneman]

I stay unless the winds sustained are 110 or above

[cpdaman]

it depends on the situation some storms show more potential for rapid intensification than others . but generally

if there is a cat 4/5 bearing down on the coast i will be be out of town/county/state. cat 1, 2 staying.

cat 3 ride it out, away from the coast.

[HeeBGBz]

For Katrina, I evacuated from Gulfport to Biloxi. We were very lucky.

This year I'm living in a mobile home on the back bay. Anything at all blows up and I'm out of that abode. I've got two big pecan trees hanging over me and I would like to avoid a smashing. Whether I would leave town would depend on the choices that arise.

edited to say I really don't know if they are pecan trees or not. They keep dropping nut bombs on me when I sit on the front porch. I haven't looked closer to see what kind of nuts they are.

[sunnyday]

I remember when we drove away on the Saturday night before Andrew hit on Sunday night/Monday morning in 1992. Everyone else stayed in the neighborhood, watching tv and relaxing. The next morning by noon there was no gas and no way out. We agreed neve to stay for such a storm!

[Aric Dunn]

lol ... my only evacuation is from my home that is not under warnings to where the hurricane is making landfall

I find the storms

[T'Bonz]

Cat 4 or 5 = Goodbye! I'm outta here.
Cat 3 = perhaps. Depends on circumstances.
Cat 1-2 = ride it out.

Been through Andrew, Frances, Jeanne, Katrina, Rita, Wilma. All but Wilma were strong trops here, or cat 1. Wilma was probably a minimal cat 3 here, if not, then definitely a very strong cat 2.

[Category 5]

Cat 1: Stay
Cat 2: Consider evacuating depending on certain factors
Cat 3: Likely evacuate
Cat 4 or 5: I'm already gone

[jrod]

it depends on the situation some storms show more potential for rapid intensification than others . but generally

if there is a cat 4/5 bearing down on the coast i will be be out of town/county/state. cat 1, 2 staying.

cat 3 ride it out, away from the coast.

I agree, even a weak hurricane that has the potential for rapid intensification I will likely run away from the coast. I'll ride out a cat 3 on the coast given the coastal area is not prone to a huge storm surge and I have a solid structure to stay in. I was ready to run from Francis but it weakened greatly around the Bahamas and made the right call to stay.

[Decomdoug]

Have lived in florida all my life.(55y) so I have some experience. I live in a 3 yr old house, well built, 5 miles inland and 15' above MSL. Storm shutters on all doors and windows, (can leave one door of my chooseing open to gain access) and the garage door is steel reinforced. Have a safe room and a whole house generator.

Cat 1,2,3 - Stay
Cat 4 - Questionable
Cat 5 - Shutter up and wave goodbye

[sunny]

I'm outta here for anything over a cat 1 until I know the levees will hold and the pumps will work. And they WON'T have to tell me twice either.

[Toadstool]

I'm not sure there's any good place to evacuate in South Florida. I live 12 miles inland. If there was an evacuation (ala Floyd) the roads going North would be just a parking lot, so there's no point in that and trying to ride out the storm in your car. You can't go South unless you think the Keys are safe. Even if you could go up to say Tallahassee, you may just see a storm like Katrina where you get out of South Florida only to find out that now it's headed right to where you took refuge. Best just staying put.

[Downdraft]

One in three won't evacuate huh? That just reinforces Darwin's Laws of Natural Selection.

[MGC]

Katrina was the only hurricane in my life (51yrs) that I evacuated for, glad I did. If another Katrina should pass my way again I will leave again. This time I'm headed to Disney World. We got back two days after Katrina. We came home to the biggest mess I've ever seen from a hurricane. We were miserable without power for 17day, had no city water for several months, had to drive 15 miles to a grocery store and to get gas for several months. Then since I live south of the tracks, the National Guard set up road blocks which I had to deal with for 6 months. Yep, next time I'm running away from home.....MGC