![]() ![]() That federal support could look different this hurricane season, as FEMA is also tasked with coordinating the nation’s response to the pandemic. “All disaster response should be locally executed, state managed and federally supported,” said a FEMA spokesperson via email. has declared an emergency over COVID-19, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering grants - provided by the first stimulus package - to assist local governments with managing the coronavirus pandemic. “It will probably double the cost we would normally have just for this particular disaster,” McFarland said.Įvery state in the U.S. ![]() The Red Cross temporarily housed people in hotels, which quickly got expensive. John McFarland, executive director of the organization’s southeast Mississippi chapter, said that April’s severe weather affected about 1,300 homes in his 28-county jurisdiction, with over half destroyed or majorly damaged. The American Red Cross, which oversees some shelters after disasters, could see a decline in volunteers, many of whom are older and at a higher risk for COVID-19. He said they may have to “cut those numbers by two-thirds.” Even getting people to these locations may be difficult: New Orleans officials plan to screen people waiting for public transportation for COVID-19 symptoms - a process that requires evacuation orders to be issued much earlier than usual. One of the main shelters in Mobile County is a school that can hold 1,800 people under normal circumstances. Michael Evans, Deputy Director of the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency in Alabama, has similar concerns. “That increases my staffing needs that I really don’t have,” Gilmore said. With safe physical distancing protocols, they’d need 29. Eric Gilmore, emergency manager for Escambia County, Florida, which is on the panhandle, said his county typically opens eight shelters during a natural disaster. The trouble is finding enough space to accommodate people in need. Harrison County has seen the highest unemployment counts in the state since March, likely due to the coastal county’s lack of tourism revenue during the pandemic - it is home to 10 out of 12 casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Some managers, including in Harrison County, Mississippi, say they’re expecting a higher number of people to need shelters since residents may not be able to afford to evacuate because of lost income or unemployment. One of the most urgent concerns is how to handle shelters, often housed in schools or civic centers. “Nearly everything that we do when we respond to a hurricane requires people to be in close proximity to one another,” said Samantha Montano, assistant professor of emergency management and disaster science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Emergency managers and first responders usually pack into a room, quickly deciding when to order evacuations, close roads, and open shelters. Remote communication runs counter to disaster response best practices. They’re urging residents to stock up on food and water, as well as masks and hand sanitizer, and telling them to reassess evacuation plans in case relatives or friends they usually flee to are at a high risk for COVID-19. Now, on top of that, they’re trying to figure out how to handle a hurricane under these circumstances. We’ll make sure we’re good to go, but we’ll miss that personal contact. But, he added, “we won’t be able to do it in as much detail. Emergency managers - local and state officials who oversee disaster contingency planning, public education, and recovery - can’t meet face-to-face to go over crucial protocols, or spend time with communities answering questions.įor now, much of it is happening virtually, said Zachary Hood, emergency management director for Baldwin County, Alabama, who will be attending a virtual state-wide hurricane planning exercise this month. This year, that planning looks vastly different because of the coronavirus pandemic. They do dry-runs of storm scenarios, reviewing evacuation plans and communicating with partner agencies and organizations to ensure shelters will be ready. They spend weeks visiting churches, senior centers, and housing authorities, giving presentations on hurricane preparedness. Each spring, emergency managers working along the Gulf Coast begin preparing for hurricane season.
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