In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, and the deadly racism of our society that is being highlighted in the streets, June has brought another danger: hurricane season. Federal scientists are expecting storms to be more frequent and powerful, as climate change intensifies the threats posed by hurricanes. Every major forecasting organization is predicting above-average activity, but evacuations are going to be a lot more complicated this year.
What do you do when evacuation orders conflict with shelter-in-place orders? Do you risk the storm, or the possibility of contracting coronavirus in a cramped public shelter? Federal and state emergency organizations are not prepared for these complications. They weren’t even prepared for a pandemic that scientists around the world had predicted would happen.
And we all know who is at the greatest risk in these life and death situations – not the wealthy who can afford to escape to their vacation homes across the globe, but the working poor and communities of color who often bear the brunt of disaster in this society.
featured image credit: NOAA
