Though the 2020 storm season has ended, next year’s storm season will soon be upon us and, with COVID-19 still in the air, the collision between the current pandemic or a future pandemic and the ensuing storm season is inevitable.
One of the things we learned from the pandemic and last year’s storm and natural disaster season is that many of the tried-and-true protocols don’t work or can’t be enforced during a global health crisis such as COVID-19. Take, for example, evacuation measures during a hurricane, which put those affected in densely populated evacuation shelters, contrary to social distancing measures. In addition, with a global pandemic, workforce shortages, delays in supplies and materials, funding shortfalls or insufficient hospital capacity will also impact emergency response during a natural disaster.