NORFOLK, Va. — When it comes to hurricane preparedness, the pandemic has put us in new territory.
“Evacuation and sheltering are both activities where you have close congregate activities among people,” said research professor Joshua Behr at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center.
Behr and a team of researchers just released the COVID-19 Evacuation and Sheltering Risk Perception Study.
It’s a thorough look at how we can stay safe and recover from a major storm during a pandemic.
In the report are more than three dozen recommendations for state and local governments.
One of them recommends additional training for staff and volunteers at hurricane shelters for infection control and hygiene. Another recommends expanding shelter capacity, but in a way that favors social distancing.
Instead of having several large communal shelters, localities should identify and plan for more low congregate shelters, like hotels where families can be sectioned off in rooms.
Behr believes of the top priorities is preplanning for housing recovery.
One of the suggestions is to establish a team of researchers focused on recovery-related equity. They will help walk people through the process of rebuilding homes, neighborhoods, and communities following a major storm.
“It’s good to make those changes now under blue skies in anticipation of the storm events that are likely to head our way,” said Behr.