Hurricane Ian is poised to slam parts of Florida today and tomorrow before making its way north, potentially bringing heavy rain to our area.
Virginia often urges residents to have a hurricane preparedness plan, but we’re wondering whether Arlington residents actually do that. After all, it’s the coastal areas like Virginia Beach that are more vulnerable to hurricanes, while Arlington is more insulated from the worst of the impacts thanks to our inland location.
The most significant hurricane to threaten Arlington in recent memory was Hurricane Irene in 2011, but while it did pack tropical storm-force winds that caused some damage, numerous downed trees, and power outages, most poll respondents said it wasn’t as bad as expected.
That’s not to say that a hurricane cannot, under the right conditions, eventually cause even worse damage here — so perhaps it will pay to be prepared.
But how many Arlington residents actually take concrete steps to prepare for hurricanes here? Let’s find out.
Image via National Weather Service
