A recent Mason-Dixon poll has found that a high percentage of homeowners remain unprepared for hurricanes and don't take the threat seriously even along the coastal states, which bore the brunt of eight major storms in 2004 and 2005. Officials are especially concerned that homeowners have become immune to the risk of hurricanes due to the 2006 hurricane season, which saw no major hurricanes threatening coastal states. There is also a fear that homeowners have forgotten the lesson of Hurricane Katrina, which left much of New Orleans uninhabitable.

"Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina shocked and horrified the nation, far too many residents are still unprepared for storms," said Bill Proenza, director of the National Hurricane Center. "Last year's below normal hurricane season may have resulted in coastal residents being lulled into a false sense of complacency. This hurricane season promises to be an active one, so it is imperative residents get ready before a storm catches them unprepared."

The Mason-Dixon poll was commissioned by American Initiatives, an organization that launched the 2007 National Hurricane Survival Initiative, which was created 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 poll is one of the leading elements of the initiative, which is a joint public/private outreach partnership that includes the National Hurricane Center, Federal Emergency Management Administration, The National Emergency Management Association, The Salvation Army and the State of North Carolina. Corporate partners in the project include Plylox, Travelers, and AT&T. The survey was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of 1,100 adults in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states between May 10 and May 15, 2007. The margin for error is plus or minus 3 percent. The survey results are as follows: