Katrina was supposed to be our big wake-up call. “We weren’t going to make the same mistakes again,” we told ourselves. “Next time, we’ll be ready.” June first is the beginning of the new hurricane season, and for all we know, it will be another doozy. So, how are we doing on those preparations?

Of coastal residents recently surveyed:

• 56 percent don’t feel vulnerable to a hurricane or related tornado or flooding.
• 60 percent have no family disaster plan.
• 68 percent have no hurricane-survival kit.
• 83 percent have taken no steps to make their homes stronger.
• 13 percent said they might not or would not evacuate even if ordered to leave — leaving tens of thousands of residents at grave risk.

There are few signs to indicate we are much better off than we were before. Even worse, we might be more vulnerable. In a recent CNN.com article, “The Army Corps of Engineers recently admitted that construction on floodgates and levees will not be finished when hurricane season starts June 1.” Federal, State, and local governments are still in the process of making their plans and changes, when the season is practically on top of us.

So, what can you do to prepare? Here is an overview of preparedness steps by the Red Cross. This seems like it should be old hat to us South Louisiana folks, but apparently it isn’t. Let’s try to wake up before the next “wake-up call” hits us.