As COVID-19 wreaks havoc in the US, FEMA prepares for an onslaught of natural disasters
The coming months are not looking great for US. Not only does the country have to fight the pandemic, but it also has to brace itself for an onslaught of hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and wildfire.
With the country's resources already strained due to the pandemic, experts are concerned that natural disasters could weaken relief measures.
“Disasters don’t stop for a virus,” Craig Fugate, former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responsible for coordinating the government's response to disasters, told the National Geographic.
Only last week, violent storms hit southeastern US, killing 34 and leaving half a million without power. In June, the country might witness the hurricane season. According to scientists at Colorado State University, there is a 70% chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the US.
Flooding is also a problem. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted major to moderate flooding in Midwest and Great Plains this spring. Central and Northern California and Oregon could see a higher-than-normal fire activity.
What is the FEMA doing?
The focus now is on coronavirus. “Covid is the equivalent of Hurricane Katrina hitting 50 states instead of two,” former FEMA official Barry Scanlon, told Politico. “You have all of the country’s public and private resources taxed beyond comprehension," he added.
Currently, FEMA has posted more than 2,300 of its nearly 14,000 employees to battle the virus, FEMA spokesperson Lizzie Litzow told Politico.
Still, some experts fear FEMA could be understaffed to deal with multiple crises. "It's terrifying to think about what would happen if a disaster were to strike," a FEMA official told CNN on condition of anonymity.
To prepare for the coming disasters, FEMA is looking to expand its staff and rehire retirees. It has also set up a second National Response Coordination Center to handle them. Litzow added that FEMA was also acquiring temporary space to expand incident support operations if necessary.
How the pandemic puts disaster response in jeopardy?
During hurricanes, relief teams mass evacuate people and shelter those displaced. In 2017, Harvey, Irma, and Maria overwhelmed FEMA, "and some would say past the breaking point," Bryan Koon, the former director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, told CNN.
Complicating this further is maintaining social distancing. "How can you shelter 300,000 people when you can't pack them all into gymnasiums as you have in the past?" Koon asked.
Another option is to house people in the red cross shelters. Those with symptoms will be isolated from the others, Trevor Riggen, senior vice president for disaster cycle services at the American Red Cross, told CNN. He also added the first and best option would be to shelter people in hotels.
An official told CNN they are aware of the challenges are looking at solutions to sheltering people without having to congregate them. "The focus right now is we need to get more PPE (personal protective equipment) to avoid spreads in the shelters. We haven't written (social distancing) off, but it's going to be near impossible at tornado and hurricane shelters," a FEMA official told CNN.