Coronavirus and The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season in the USA
2020 has not been a good year so far. COVID-19, which has proven to be a global pandemic is already causing a lot of hardships on policyholders and with whole industries being affected by the virus, businesses and operations all across the globe have shut down.
As all eyes are focused on the lockdowns that are in place in various countries, forecasters in the USA predict a very active Atlantic hurricane season for this year. The pandemic could prove to bring a lot of unprecedented challenges to Floridians as they face the coming storms.
April is the month when emergency respondents start preparing for the hurricane season but this year, the entire country is faced with an unfamiliar threat. According to statistics, there are 16826 confirmed cases in Florida and as the numbers keep going up, doctors are expecting the death toll to rise much higher. With the pandemic already disrupting lives and businesses all across, forecasters predict that at least eight hurricanes are to be expected this year which includes four major hurricanes. To add to the challenges, the season also brings with it a record-breaking 16 tropical storms. This forecast is above the 30-year average that each tropical season has brought with it from 1981 to 2010.
It is extremely likely that the pandemic situation will cross paths with the Atlantic hurricane season which begins on June 1. With that happening, the evacuation programs for the storm season as well as the lockdown situation that the whole world is currently facing will lead to Floridians in need of financial and institutional support from an already strained government.
Nevertheless, the state is actively preparing for the hurricane season. A planning section at the State Emergency Operations Center is activated to ensure comprehensive preparation that includes planning for hurricane impacts during the outbreak. Officials and country staffers are working together to enhance preparedness to deal with a two-pronged approach against the hurricane season and the outbreak to ensure all Floridians are safe. With a 45% chance of a major hurricane landfall on the East coast and a 44% percent chance on the Gulf coast, authorities are seeking to take all the available preventive measures in the current situation.
