Hurricane survey: Water’s the threat, but most still fear wind | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

A national survey of people's knowledge about the destructive power of hurricanes yields some broadly believed myths about their destructive power. Click title for link to the article by Eliot Kleinberg.

Despite all the public education, a staggering 84 percent of people surveyed still believe wind, not water, is the greatest threat to their safety, and base their evacuation decisions on wind speed or a storm’s category, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes said this week.
The national Harris Interactive Survey, commissioned by the nonprofit group FLASH, revealed “frightening perceptions,” FLASH said Tuesday in a release.
The survey clashes with the reality that hurricane evacuation zones are based on the threat of water, not wind, and nearly all evacuation orders reflect the threat of inland flooding and storm surge.