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 MIAMI (AP) - Many people along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts still lack a hurricane survival plan and don't feel vulnerable to storms, despite Katrina's dramatic damage and pleas from emergency officials for residents to prepare before the season starts, according to a poll released Thursday.
The six-month Atlantic season starts Friday, and forecasters have predicted an above-average year: 13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 of them becoming hurricanes and three to five of those reaching at least Category 3 strength. One forecaster said odds were high that a major hurricane would hit the U.S. this year.
Nevertheless, 44 percent of people who live within 30 miles of the shore in 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states say they feel "not too" vulnerable or "not at all" vulnerable to a hurricane or to related tornadoes and flooding, according to the Mason-Dixon poll.
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