More-Than-Usual Hurricanes Mixed With Covid-19 Will Require New Ways To Keep Safe And Prepared

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Michael Moline

Floridians who evacuate into emergency shelters during this hurricane season will find markedly different conditions than before because of COVID-19. They might not land in a traditional shelter at all, but rather in a hotel room at the state’s expense.

In fact, if possible, state emergency officials hope Floridians simply stay home, as long as they’re not in an area at risk of flooding and other storm dangers.

Whatever the shelter, these officials want people to feel confident that, in fleeing the storm threat, they don’t put themselves at risk of COVID-19.

“The most important thing, in my opinion going into hurricane season, is that if you live in an area and that area is not safe for you with a hurricane approaching, we must make sure that you feel comfortable to leave your house and get out of harm’s way,” Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said last week.

“We’ve got to have that confidence that we’re providing a safe place to go,” he said.

State government has spent 20 years planning hurricane evacuations, and assesses the availability of shelters every two years. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet approved the latest iteration on May 28.

The plan is dated Jan. 31 — before the scope of the COVID threat became manifest — and doesn’t directly account for it, or for the unrest following the police brutality death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“We continue to modify the plan. It is a living, breathing document. As new guidance comes out from CDC, and as we get further into hurricane season, additional tools will become available,” Moskowitz told the governor and Cabinet.

“We’re continuing to take input through this process from outside sources in addition to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the American Red Cross.”

The 2020 hurricane season opened Monday and will last through Nov. 30. It promises to be a humdinger. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 13 to 19 named storms, including three to six major hurricanes.

We’ve already seen three named storms, including Tropical Storm Cristobal, which may approach the northern Gulf coast this weekend.

When the state began its shelter availability assessments in 2000, it found a deficit of 1.5 million shelter spaces, said Mark Kruse, a policy coordinator for the governor. That’s been erased overall, but shortages persist for the general public in the Tampa Bay region, Central Florida, and Southwest Florida.

Five regions have shortages in special-needs shelter spaces: Apalachee, comprising the eastern Panhandle; Northeast Florida; East Central Florida; Central Florida; and Southwest Florida. (See page 2-8 of this report for a map.)

“The deficit will continue through 2025,” Kruse said.

Overall, more than 1 million shelter beds are available against a demand estimated at 955,700. In fact, better forecasting and public education has reduced the demand for space, the report says.

Even so, “[a]s Florida’s hurricane vulnerable population continues to grow, it is vitally important that construction of hurricane evacuation shelters and retrofit of existing buildings be considered a priority,” the report concludes.

Shelter decisions are made at the county level, Moskowitz said. However, given the COVID danger, the state has been working with FEMA to identify sites for non-congregate shelters —meaning hotel rooms, he said.

Two hundred hotels have signed up for the program thus far, he said, and counties are preregistering people for space.

“Whether they decide to use those non-congregant shelters for COVID-positive people only, for seniors only or people with underlying conditions, or just general use” is up to county leaders, Moskowitz elaborated during a news conference last week in Boca Raton.

Additionally, the CDC is encouraging counties to open smaller shelters, housing fewer than 50 people.

If congregate shelters are necessary, officials should allot at least 60 square feet of space per person and enforce six feet of social distancing space between families, Moscowitz said. Counties should test the people for COVID, using rapid-acting tests, and reserve space to isolate people who may have the virus, he said.

“They should routinely clean and disinfect all common areas and surfaces,” he said.

The state plans to reimburse counties that host families under inter-county agreements. “We don’t want financial resources to be the reason a county doesn’t use all available tools in the toolbox,” Moskowitz said.

His Division of Emergency Management has purchased 50 emergency generators to deploy as needed, he said.

To protect shelter staff, the state has in reserve 10 million face masks (and has a deal to acquire 12 million more), 5 million pairs of gloves, 1 million face shields, 5 million thermometers, and 200 negative-pressure machines, among other inventory, Moskowitz said.

But officials want people to evacuate only if forced by a threat to the danger zone in which they live, especially if they live in a newer home built to strict hurricane standards and if the storm isn’t too massive. Particularly in June or July, when storms tend to be less severe than later in the season.

“Sheltering in place may be the safest thing for your family,” Moskowitz said.

The plan identifies a variety of structures suitable to act as shelters, including civic centers, meeting halls, gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, exhibition halls, sports arenas, conference centers and schools. They need at least 2,000 square feet of floor space and can’t be in areas subject to flooding.

The construction of schools in compliance with the strictest building codes has improved significantly over the years, the report says, to the point of 100 percent compliance by new structures.

The state is encouraging people to put together disaster supply kits with sufficient food, water and medicine to last for a minimum of seven days. Given the COVID threat, it also should contain hand sanitizer, face masks, and disinfectant wipes. You’ll find a list of what you need here.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.