As the country braces itself during the first weeks of the economy being reopened, Floridians are now also preparing themselves for the impending hurricane season that is set to begin on June 1st. In response, the Sachs Media Group is highlighting the “Get Ready, Florida!” hurricane safety initiative, which is meant to assist Floridians during this time where they are also dealing with the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent poll, the majority of Floridians voiced their concerns regarding the upcoming 2020 hurricane season with 51% of those surveyed saying that they “feel more concerned about hurricanes this year than in other years due to their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past few months.”
Jay Neal, President and CEO of the FAIR Foundation and a partner of the “Get Ready, Florida!” initiative, expressed that “COVID-19 has created a very real, sustained sense of anxiety, and that’s even before the wild card of a major hurricane.” Furthermore, “add hurricane season to the uncertainty of the pandemic and you introduce another set of serious issues to worry about.”
Adding on to the financial stress that Floridians have already been facing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, Floridians are now questioning whether or not they should evacuate or seek shelter along with exploring how that may aggravate already existing problems.
Craig Fugate, a former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, detailed that “social distancing will change the way we shelter people in a hurricane without a doubt.” Specifically, he explained that “everyone should add masks to their family hurricane kit,” and “if you’re told to evacuate, you still need to heed those orders and get out to a safer place.”
An annual statewide public education initiative, “Get Ready, Florida!” is currently instructing Floridians on how best to prepare for the hurricane season, and it has been doing so for the last 20 years.
Also concerned about the upcoming hurricane season is Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D), who recently pressed FEMA to offer up their hurricane preparedness plan.
