Story highlights David Halstead: Most hurricane-related deaths happen in the storm's aftermath

Carbon monoxide poisoning, accidents in cleanup and stress are to blame for deaths

David Halstead, a CNN contributor, is the former director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) As Hurricane Irma rapidly approaches the southern coast of Florida, it is important to focus some time on how our citizens will handle the survival of what, is now believed, will be a Category 4 storm.

David Halstead

First, the euphoria of surviving the storm will come. Knowing that your pets are safe, finding out that family members also survived and perhaps seeing that your property was only slightly damaged will bring much gratitude. This post-survival period will mean different things to different people, but first let's make sure those who will make it through this storm continue to survive afterward.

In the aftermath of the 2004 hurricane season, I took a look at the more than 100 deaths associated with either Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan or Jeanne, four storms that hit Florida that year. I read and reread the statistics and was amazed to understand how each person died. So many of them were initial survivors of the disaster but perished in the recovery phase.

There were some who did not follow the evacuation orders and decided to ride out the storm at home and ultimately drowned due to the storm surge. We have heard the stories of survivors who drove through roads in flooded conditions and their vehicles left the roadway with the occupants of the car drowning in deep ditches. Too many people still think their vehicle is capable of traveling across flooded roads.

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It takes very little water -- in terms of depth-- for a car to be lifted and float with the current of the water. Hurricane Irma presents an even harsher reality as the storm surge may be higher and longer than we have ever dealt with here in Florida.

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