On the heels of two mild storm seasons, Americans in Gulf and Atlantic coastal states are still complacent and unprepared for hurricanes according to a new Mason-Dixon poll released today.

The poll shows some residents of hurricane-vulnerable states say they will not evacuate and prefer to weather storms at home. Many residents lack disaster plans, and many are still misinformed about how to protect themselves and their families during a storm. The poll shows even many of the residents who live within 30 miles of the coast fail to take proper precautions.

"We have learned that everyone has a role to play and a responsibility to prepare to the best of their ability," Florida Governor Charlie Crist said at the 2008 Governor's Hurricane Conference. "We know that we must stand together in order to be prepared for future storms that may come our way."

The Mason-Dixon poll was commissioned by American Initiatives, an organization that today launched the 2008 National Hurricane Survival Initiative at a news conference at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. The initiative aims to educate residents living in hurricane-vulnerable states about the risks they face and the steps they must take to protect themselves and minimize damage.

"The devastating storms of 2004 and 2005 exposed how many residents are unprepared for hurricanes," said Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center. "Three years later, too many residents are denying that this could ever happen to them. This could be a fatal mistake. The time to prepare is now – not when a hurricane is threatening your area."

Among the poll results emergency management officials find most alarming are these:

• 54% don't feel vulnerable to a hurricane or related tornado or flooding,
• 56% have no family disaster plan,
• 67% have no hurricane survival kit,
• 85% have taken no steps to make their homes stronger since the last hurricane
season,
• 13% said they might not or would not evacuate even if ordered to do so,
leaving thousands of residents at grave risk in the path of any given storm.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicts the 2008 hurricane season will be a near normal or above normal Atlantic Hurricane Season. NOAA anticipates 12-16 named storms, 6-9 becoming hurricanes, of which 2-5 could become major hurricanes of category 3 strength or higher.

The poll is one of the leading elements of the National Hurricane Survival Initiative – a public education and safety outreach partnership that includes the National Hurricane Center, The National Emergency Management Association and The Salvation Army. Corporate partners in the project include Plylox and Travelers Insurance.

Other elements of this year's initiative are an informative and interactive Web site, www.HurricaneSafety.org, and a 30-minute television program, "Hurricane Survival 2008." The television program will be broadcast throughout hurricane season on more than 50 television network-affiliate stations and secondary broadcasts on cable and government access channels from Texas to Maine. Residents are encouraged to visit www.HurricaneSafety.org for a list of broadcast partners or to check their local listings for air dates and times.