Hurricane Laura struck the Texas and Louisiana regions with a ferocity that caused an extreme amount of damage. Wildfires are occurring all across the Western United States, rising sea levels could cause flooding and a lot of people could have to evacuate their homes. All of these things are happening simultaneously with a pandemic and it is important that households accurately prepare their disaster recovery plan steps to include how to handle two disasters at once.
Hospitals will be full
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that due to COVID-19, hospitals are already relatively jam packed. A bunch of nurses and doctors are regulated to coronavirus only wards and will not be able to help in other emergency situations. It is best to plan your emergency response on no one having to go to the hospital to avoid the risk of infection and overburdening healthcare resources.
Have your own first aid kit available and practice everyday preventive actions set out by the CDC. Cover coughs and sneezes, wash your hands as often as possible, be wary of common touch points and avoid touching your face.
Utility shortages
Other states might not be able to send additional resources due to the coronavirus or because they are dealing with their own state emergency, so utilities might take longer to turn back on. Families should be prepared with alternative water, light and gas resources. For your disaster recovery plan steps, include an extra propane tank for the grill, a home water filtration system, or a personal backup generator.
Compromised Shelters
If you and your family end up needing to be evacuated into a shelter, it could be infectious. With not enough personnel able to fully sanitize as often as would be needed in a high volume shelter, and many things like food lines and sleeping spaces being overcrowded, the risk of catching COVID-19 increases.
The best way to prepare for this is to plan and have your own evacuation plan in place to avoid a last minute shelter.
Food and supply shortages
Due to the pandemic, the nation has already experienced some food shortages, and other disasters are only going to make it more pronounced. Food and water should be a priority in your emergency kit to be able to withstand the disaster. You can start stocking up on nonperishable items now a little at a time to be more prepared.
Evacuation
The Red Cross organization recommends planning two survival kits for your disaster recovery plans steps to best prepare for simultaneous disasters. One is a stay-at-home kit that has enough supplies to last a minimum of two weeks and a “go bag,” for an evacuation that has a minimum of three days supplies.
If you do need to evacuate, then you can ask friends and family if you would be able to stay with them. Make sure and ask them if they or anyone in their household has been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or if anyone in their household is at greater risk of developing deadly symptoms. If need be, you can always check for hotels that are open that you can be able to stay at.
Civil Dispatch
If you need to plan out your disaster recovery plan steps, sign up for Civil Dispatch! We make being prepared for emergency disasters easier than ever!