“Hide from wind, run from water” (hurricane adage)

“Hide from (the) wind, run from (the) water” is a saying that has been used from Florida to Texas by emergency management teams for hurricane preparedness. The author of the saying is unknown, but “Run from the water, hide from the wind” has been in use in Florida since at least September 1998.
 
   
23 September 1998, Miami (FL) Herald, “Bracing for Georges precise path keeps South Florida guessing, pg. 1A:
“You can run from the water, but you can’t hide from the wind,” said Zachary Williams, assistant director of the Broward Emergency Management Division.
 
24 September 1998, Palm Beach (FL) Post, “Georges Targets Keys” by Mary McLachlin, pg. 1A:
Hotels in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties already were filling Wednesday as tens of thousands heeded the hurricane maxim: Run from the water, hide from the wind.
     
28 May 2000, Fort Myers (FL) News Press, “SHelters should be your last resort” by Bob Reddy, Hurricane Season 2000 section, pg. I6:
Area emergency agencies live by a simple philosophy: “Run from the water hide from the wind.”
 
5 September 2000, Palm Beach (FL) Post, “Plan to ride out storm? Preparing cuts your risk,” pg. 11A:
The simple rule of thumb for hurricane survival is to run from water and hide from wind.
 
17 June 2001, Palm Beach (FL) Post, “Few attend session on hurricane readiness” by Mary Ellen Flannery, pg. 11B:
If you don’t know anything else know this: “Run from water, hide from the wind.”
     
Google Books 
Black cloud:
The deadly hurricane of 1928
By Eliot Kleinberg
New York, NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers
2004, ©2003
Pg. 140:
That’s why meteorologists and emergency managers use the elementary mantra “hide from wind, run from water.”
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Hurricane preparedness in Alabama : hide from the wind, run from the water
Author: United States. National Weather Service.; Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Publisher: Mobile, AL : Mobile National Weather Service Office, 2004.
Edition/Format:  Book : State or province government publication : English
 
Houston (TX) Chronicle
Storm experts suggest: Run from water, hide from wind
If you don’t live in a surge zone, you probably should stay put
By DAN FELDSTEIN
June 1, 2006, 1:27AM
(...)
But the catchphrase for Florida — “run from the water, hide from the wind” — should also be partially adopted here, said experts from Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
   
Houston (TX) Press
Hurricane Season 2011: Ten Questions Answered for Storm Newbies
By Jeff Balke
Thu., May 26 2011 at 7:01 AM
(...)
8. High winds have to be the most dangerous part of hurricanes, right?
High winds are scary, no doubt, but they do not account for most of the deaths or even damage during a hurricane. There is an old adage that goes, “Hide from wind, run from water.” Hurricane winds, while dangerous, are not a significant threat to most modern homes. They, along with the tornadoes hurricanes spawn, can certainly damage homes and knock over trees, but the greater risk in a hurricane is from the storm surge—the wall of water hurricanes push onshore. The storm surge during Ike destroyed entire communities along Bolivar Peninsula and wiped out virtually every pier and store on the Gulf side of the seawall.