In the midst of flood season, and with hurricane season swiftly approaching, state officials are asking FEMA for guidance on how to evacuate people in the current COVID-19 situation. As it stands, individuals caught in a flood zone or in the path of a hurricane will be faced with a choice between staying home and risking the chance that the storm will not affect them, and fleeing to a shelter and risking exposure to the coronavirus.
Last week, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, representing Florida, asked the federal government to issue guidelines on how states should handle evacuations and manage storm shelters in the event of a hurricane, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Experts from Colorado State University have released predictions for this hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, to generate an above-average storm season. So, government officials and local politicians are rushing to prepare for what the mayor of one Florida county describes as a "double disaster": a devastating hurricane strike amid a COVID-19 outbreak.
Rubio and Scott wrote a letter to Peter Gaynor, the director of FEMA, asking him to issue guidance to state and local governments about how they should prepare for a hurricane during the time of state-mandated social-distancing measures.
With over 1,300 miles of coastline, Florida is the U.S. state that is most vulnerable to hurricanes.
With respect to the current tornado threat, on April 9 the American Meteorological Society released an official statement, saying, "Do not let the virus prevent you from seeking refuge from a tornado. If a public tornado shelter is your best available refuge from severe weather, take steps to ensure you follow CDC guidelines for physical distancing and disease prevention."