It would appear that with the many days of news coverage predicting that Hurricane Ian would hit west coast of Florida and then the several days of forecasts which greatly narrowed down the range of coastal areas where the storm might hit, one would think that even idiots would heed the warnings to evacuate.

Now this all assumes that evacuation orders are provide to the targeted population in a timely manner and though effective communication channels.  However, this does not preclude the responsibility of individuals to insure that they remain informed as to the current hurricane status and take responsibility for their own safety.  If I lived anywhere near the cone of probability of a powerful hurricane, I would make preparations to leave on a moments should it prove necessary and I would be constantly tuned to the latest information about the storm, ready implement my evacuation plan if necessary.

There are always poor people who don’t have the capacity to flee, but in hurricane prone areas like Florida local disaster preparedness officials have an obligation to be prepared to provide that capability.

I heard one Florida official say that they can be as prepared as possible for nstural disasters, but the one thing they can’t control is human behavior. I interpreted to mean human human arrogance and stupidity.

As I write this, the hurricane death toll in Florida has risen well above 80 and is poised to go even higher.  Thousands are being rescued from their flooded homes. 

I was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana where huge hurricanes are common. I even as a child, and later as a Red Cross volunteer who went out to rescue lucky survivors in the aftermath of such storms, I could never understand the arrogance, stubbornness, and stupidly of those who chose to “ride out the storms” in their extremely vulnerable homes and subsequently paid for their decisions with their lives.  

Today, when hurricane forecasts are ever more timely and accurate, there is even less reason for vast majority of the deaths which always result from powerful hurricanes. 

Cajun (Rick Guilbeau)