Fewer Floridians may evacuate in next hurricane

Some Floridians may not obey evacuation orders the next time a storm blows through the state.

About a third of Floridians left their homes and many said they regretted doing so, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll, conducted Oct. 17 to 19.

Some 28 percent said they would not evacuate in the next storm, even if ordered. Another 15 percent were unsure in the poll released Wednesday.

“The widespread evacuation orders, coupled with the shifting storm track, resulted in many people evacuating into the path of Irma,” said Brad Coker, the managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy. “The heavy traffic and the distance many were required to travel could present problems for emergency managers in future hurricanes.”

About a third of Floridians were under evacuation orders, and 42 percent of them stayed home. Still, about a third of Floridians reported evacuating. That’s because a significant number of people who were not under evacuation orders chose to leave their homes.

Many of those who said they would not definitely follow an evacuation order were those who chose not to follow orders in Hurricane Irma. But 24 percent of those who were ordered to evacuate and did so said they would not do so again.

“If you are ordered to evacuate by local officials, it is always important that you do so. However, it is also important to understand that you often need only to evacuate by tens of miles, not hundreds of miles, to a safe place,” said Division of Emergency Management Communications Director Alberto Moscoso.

“Residents should also learn how their home is built and see what they can do make their dwelling more resilient,” he said. By doing so, those not ordered to evacuate but still within areas that will be impacted by a storm may stay in their homes safely, reducing the traffic on roadways so that those who must evacuate can do so expeditiously.”

Moscoso said state officials were looking at ways to improve evacuation plans and address the sort of complaints that, according to Coker, made evacuation an ugly experience for many.

“The division strives to learn from every event,” Moscoso said.

The poll included 625 registered Florida voters, with demographic breakdowns similar to the overall population of the state. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.