MIAMI – About one in three people living in Southern coastal areas said they would ignore hurricane evacuation orders if a storm threatened their community, up from about one in four last year, according to a new poll.
The survey released today found the most common reasons for not evacuating were the same ones that topped last year’s Harvard University poll: People believe their homes are safe and well-built, that roads would be too crowded and that fleeing would be dangerous.
Slightly more than one in four also said they would be reluctant to leave behind a pet.
Robert Blendon, the Harvard professor who directed the survey, said the mild 2006 Atlantic hurricane season probably put more coastal residents at ease.
“It just shows how people can become complacent if they’re not immediately threatened,” Blendon said.
The poll found 78 percent felt prepared if a major hurricane struck their community in the next six months.
Thirty-one percent of respondents said they would not evacuate. Another 5 percent said their decision would depend on the circumstances.
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