Poll Reveals Most Americans Doubt Tsunami-like Disaster Possible in U.S. Despite Government Warnings, National Media Coverage

By America's WETLAND Campaign Staff
America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS - More than half the country does not believe that a tsunami-like disaster could happen on U.S. soil in the next few years, according to results of a recent poll released today on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.

Despite government warnings, national news coverage from leading media sources, and a close call less than six months ago that forced the evacuation of more than a million Louisiana residents, a poll conducted by Washington, DC-based Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates found that 53 percent of Americans do not believe that a catastrophic disaster like the Southeast Asian Tsunami could hit the United States in the next few years.

"Too many Americans are unaware that a disaster similar to the recent tsunami could happen in the United States, and it could happen soon," said Dr. Gregory W. Stone, Director of the Coastal Studies Institute at Louisiana State University. "If a hurricane hits New Orleans head on, more than 100,000 Americans could be killed, millions could be left homeless, and the economic impact on the entire nation could stretch into the billions of dollars."

The poll, conducted January 14-18 and commissioned by the America's WETLAND Foundation, surveyed 1,290 people from across the country with margin of error of +/- 2.7 percent and asked participants how likely is it that a catastrophic disaster like the Southeast Asian Tsunami is going to happen in the United States in the next few years. Forty-four percent said a disaster was not very likely, while nine percent said it was not at all likely. The results are being released to coincide with World Wetlands Day, an international celebration of wetland education in over 80 countries around the globe.

"Wetland loss is at the heart of the problem," notes King Milling, President of Whitney National Bank and President of America's WETLAND Foundation. "Wetlands were the buffer zone against storm surge, which can now move freely across open water to engulf whole communities."

Last week the new PBS series "ScienceNOW" premiered "New Orleans: The Wrath of a Killer Storm," and in October, National Geographic dedicated 18 pages to the issue, in which the author wrote that the direct hit of a hurricane to New Orleans "would be the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States." The article also noted that, citing too great a risk to its workers, the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in New Orleans.

While some groups pull out, others fight to spread the word about the danger and about the principal method scientists have identified to lessen it -- by restoring the area's coastal wetlands that act as a vital natural hurricane barrier to the state.

"This poll reveals how few people outside of Louisiana realize the seriousness and immediacy of the threat we face from hurricanes," said Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. "We must continue to work with Congress, the national media and the public to heighten awareness of this danger, which threatens the security, environment and energy sources of our entire nation. We must also ensure that Louisiana gets sufficient federal funding to address the states coastal restoration efforts to protect and restore this area so vital to our State and our Country."

New Orleans and the state's coastal areas, a region known as America's WETLAND, serve as a critical resource to the nation: more than a million barrels of crude oil pass through the area every day, more than 30 percent of the seafood from the continental U.S. comes from the area, and five million migratory waterfowl and endangered species call America's WETLAND home.

"This is an area critical to both human safety and preserving vital habitat for wildlife," said Susan Kaderka, Region Director, National Wildlife Federation. "Saving America's WETLAND is an effort where the interests of people and wildlife converge, where it is both the right thing for people and the right thing for wildlife."

Due to a number of natural and manmade causes, the area is disappearing at an alarming rate. Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost nearly 2,000 square miles of wetlands and continues losing land at a rate equivalent to a football field of land every 38 minutes, jeopardizing much of the nation's oil and seafood sources.

"The most recent Hurricane Ivan proved that even with advanced notice, tens of thousands could be trapped with no way out of New Orleans and low-lying areas. We are at a tipping point with this crisis," said Sidney Coffee, Executive Assistant to Governor Blanco on Coastal Activities.

Additional findings from the survey included:

When respondents were told that various strategies exist to limit the damage from natural disasters such as hurricanes, and one such strategy was restoration of natural coastal environment such as wetlands to absorb the impact of the storm, 84 percent said it was an important strategy for US political decision-makers to act upon in the next few years.

When asked is it a high priority, a medium priority, or a low priority for political decision-makers to consider plans to limit the damage natural disasters might do to people and property in the United States, 86 percent rated it a priority (41 percent said it should be a medium priority, while 45 percent said it should be of high priority).

Eighty percent of respondents said they think of hurricanes as one of the types of natural disasters that might cause a severe loss of life in the United States.

After respondents learned that Louisiana's wetlands are depleting at a rate of 25 square miles per year, and that a major hurricane hits the New Orleans area on average every 35 years, and that experts say a major hurricane will likely lead to massive flooding similar to the Tsunami and great loss of life, 90 percent said it was very important to fund national efforts to restore the Louisiana's wetlands in and around New Orleans as a means to limit the damage that a direct hit from a hurricane would cause.

Announced by the State of Louisiana in August 2002, the America's WETLAND campaign is raising public awareness and gaining support for efforts to save coastal Louisiana. The initiative is supported by a growing cadre of world, national and state conservation and environmental organizations, and has drawn private support from businesses that see wetlands protection as a key to economic growth.

Visit www.americaswetland.com to learn more about Americas WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana.

For more information, contact: Kip Patrick Americas WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana (917) 319-8603 kp@mcopr.com