Hurricanes and the pandemic: How should Houstonians prepare

HOUSTON - We will be keeping a close watch on that Tropical Depression that is predicted to head towards Houston, and FOX 26 wants you to start getting all your preparations underway, and remember that things will be different due to COVID-19.

Stocking up on the essential items like water and non-perishable foods is always at the top of the list, but this hurricane season is different, since now personal protective equipment and other items need to be added, and the sooner, the better. 

Cory Stottlemyer, Public Information Officer with Houston Office of Emergency Management, said, “When you’re putting your kit together, make sure you have two. You have one in case you need to stay at home for a while, and then make sure you have a kit you can take with you as well, or a go kit. And when you were putting your goal kit together, have at least two face coverings per person in your household, have some hand sanitizer, or liquid soap as well. Just anything you might also need specific for your family’s needs.”

That means don’t leave filling your prescriptions to the last minute. Discuss a plan of action with your loved ones, and if things are bad enough that you have to leave your home, Houston Office of Emergency Management says they are prepared.

“We’ve been reviewing our plans since before hurricane season started. Figuring out, OK, if we do have to open up a facility, how would we screen everybody coming in? What would we do for those who needed to be moved to an isolation area? How would we do consistent and regular disinfecting of the facility as well, so we’ve tested that actually,“ says Stottlemyer.

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