This year’s Storm Season is projected to be significantly more active than normal. What does this mean amidst our battle with COVID-19?
Storms should never be underestimated. Regardless if a Storm's effect is a hurricane, tornado, hail, lightning, or flooding, they can cause devastation, millions of dollars in damages, and displace thousands from their homes.
Before looking at 2020, let us consider the real events of another bad year, 2017.
To put it into perspective, 2017 was the fifth-most-active storm season in East Coast recorded history, with 17 storms and 10 named hurricanes, including Harvey, Irma, and Marie.
Globally, in 2017, there were 335 reported natural disasters, 9,697 people dead, 96 million people affected, and $334 billion in damages.
Believe it or not, these numbers were significantly lower than the average year disaster stats. However, Hurricane Harvey, making landfall on August 25 with winds at 130mph, caused almost $100 billion in damages alone, left 250,000 without power, forced over 30,000 out of their homes, left hospitals at max capacity, and claimed 88 lives.
However, America is awesome.
It was amazing to see the country come together to respond and assist Houston residents. Churches opened their sanctuaries for displaced families, first responders flew in from across the country to assist, and financial aid poured in to help those most affected.
But what might be different if Harvey hit during our attempts to recover from COVID-19?
What is in store for us in 2020?
The current projections from The Weather Company meteorologist Dr. Crawford have 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes – a major hurricane is a Category 3 or higher (115-plus-mph winds).
In other words, we could see four hurricane Harveys this year.
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg, Gary Cecchine, Craig Fugate, and Craig Bond wrote an article on the 21st of April titled, Imagine Hurricane Katrina during a pandemic. The US needs to prepare for that — now. They point out several considerations for 2020 Storm Season during the fight against COVID-19, and we have highlighted 3 of them.
1. Limited Response Teams & Equipment
In this article, the authors point out how the majority of State and Federal emergency response teams have already been deployed to assist with COVID-19. Emergency shelters, hospital tents, portable surgical equipment, and other crucial response items are tied up fighting the war on this disease.
2. Current Financial Crisis
Financial assistance will also be significantly degraded. With individual states and Federal finances being allocated to assist local businesses and the over 30 million people filing for unemployment, it’s unlikely emergency funding will be as available and freely given as it has been in the past.
3. Availability & Transportation of Necessities
The other concern is the availability and transportation of necessities, like clean water, food, and medical supplies, to disaster-affected areas. During Hurricane Harvey, one of the biggest needs was clean water due to waterlines being contaminated by flooding. While COVID-19 hasn’t impacted our supply of clean water, the transportation of this life-sustaining resource could experience a longer-than-normal timeline.
Modern Survival Preparation
Never live in fear of the future. The most influential person in history said, “do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
We have a lot going on today, and we should seek to assist our family, friends, and neighbors in overcoming current strains and predicaments to the best of our ability. However, having a plan for the near future will help you navigate an emergency and better assist those around you.
Modern Survival is about analyzing your situation and utilizing what you can to prepare for what might happen. This doesn’t mean stockpiling 5 years of non-perishables in your bomb-proof bunker under your kitchen floor. It might mean having a larger-than-normal emergency fund and specific equipment and necessities organized and ready in the event of a crisis.
At a bare minimum, every person should have a plan in the event they have to evacuate their current residence or if they are ordered to stay home with limited resources available.
We have developed a simple family-oriented Emergency Action Plan (EAP) template that you can download for free here. If you need help considering what emergencies are most likely to occur in your area and what you should do to be prepared for a modern survival situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!