With the spread of COVID-19 continuing and already taking up considerable resources for disaster response, emergency managers are attempting to establish plans for how to respond in the event of a natural disaster. With federal forecasters expecting flooding in the spring across many states, there being concerns about warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico potentially leading to a very active hurricane season, and a potentially longer than normal fire season in the west, the potential for a major disaster is higher than normal.
In the event of such a disaster, emergency managers will need to reconfigure their normal responses, as they attempt to shelter those displaced. In Florida, Martin County Emergency Management Director Michele Jones notes some techniques which may need to be used, saying “We have the ability to do that social distancing within the shelter, open up additional shelters, if needed. We do 20 square feet per person — that’s sort of our planning number. But we’re looking at building that out a little bit,” while also observing it may be necessary to perform screening at shelters, and set up isolation rooms for those who may be sick. Trevor Riggen, senior vice president of Disaster Services at the American Red Cross, has noted the importance of similar measures.
Craig Fugate, former head of FEMA, is also encouraging emergency managers to think ahead, noting “Hope isn’t a strategy.” FEMA appears to be taking that to heart, as a spokesperson says “Even as FEMA is focused on responding to COVID-19, we are also preparing and maintaining readiness for other disasters to include spring flooding, severe weather and the upcoming hurricane season.”
As for what will happen in the event of a disaster, Fugate notes the challenge of convincing people to evacuate in the current environment, saying “We’ve been telling people: stay home, stay home, stay home, stay home. And then you’re going to turn around and tell them they need to evacuate. That’s going to be a hard message.”
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