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Most people are not prepared if a hurricane hit today

Preparing for a hurricane usually means buying water and non-perishable food, as well as making an emergency supply kit.

Most Floridians know the drill, but that doesn’t mean they have supply kits stashed away in their houses or apartments in case of disaster.

WOKV went around the Southside a week before the start of the 2014 hurricane season asking people what they had in their hurricane emergency survival kit, but most people said they don’t have one.

“I don’t remember putting together a kit or anything,” one Jacksonville woman said.

The woman said she has lived in Florida her whole life and even has been through a few hurricanes.  Even though she has never prepared an emergency kit, she sees the value in making one.

“It’s a smart idea, especially for families with young children,” the 22-year-old said.

A mother of two told us she would not be prepared if a hurricane hit that day, but she would make sure she bought supplies before the storm blew into town.

Several other people told us they had the same plan.

“I see it on the news every single year when the time comes to make sure you have (a hurricane kit),” one 25-year-old said. “If I felt the need of having a hurricane kit would be a possibility…I would just evacuate before it was an issue.”

One reason why people don’t have kits ready may be because the First Coast does not get as many hurricanes as other regions.

“We know they don’t hit us directly because where we are geographically, so we never really tried to prepare for one,” said another man who has lived in Jacksonville for 10 years.

The man admitted he would ensure he had a kit ready if he lived in Miami.

“They get hit pretty hard all the time.”

For all the people who said they would be scrambling to gather supplies as a hurricane approached, one Hurricane Dora survivor told me he was ready.

“I got a 30-foot Winnebago packed and ready to go,” he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends people should include flashlights, batteries, dust masks and local maps in a hurricane survival kit, along with basics like food and water.

For FEMA's full list of basic supplies and additional items to include in a kit, click here.

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