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Fugate Warns Floridians Against "Denial" About Hurricanes

Almost halfway finished, Florida's 2013 hurricane season has been a breeze so far.

But Craig Fugate, the federal government's top emergency manager, says the state is just entering the thick of hurricane season in late August and September. Fugate, now the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was Florida's top emergency manager in 2004 and 2005, when seven hurricanes hit the state.

But despite those memories, Fugate is concerned that Floridians won't take steps such as heeding evacuation orders if a storm comes. He says they're in denial.

"They say, 'I was here for the '04 hurricanes. It wasn't that bad. My home will be okay' – because it didn't flood in '04. You weren't hit by the hurricane. You were hit by the outer bands, you were hit by the rain, you may have been impacted by the power outages – but you didn't have hurricane conditions", explained Fugate.

Florida has been spared hurricane damage for several years.

But late August and September are the high points of hurricane season due to warm water temperatures that help fuel the storms.

Florida also could face increased damage if a hurricane hits this year because of heavy rains that have already saturated many parts of the state.