Prepping for a hurricane amid a COVID-19 pandemic

May 22--In the wake of COVID-19, disaster preparedness organizations have been repurposed for pandemic response.

The New Hanover Disaster Coalition, originally conceived in the immediate aftermath of 2018's Hurricane Florence, is now requesting $10,000 from Wilmington for its heavy workload.

"We moved to an all-hazards approach" in November, said Audrey Hart, director of the coalition. "I am currently sitting in the emergency operations center, talking to community leaders to see if people need food, rent assistance or help (applying for) unemployment."

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In April, the coalition worked to obtain emergency equipment for the New Hanover Regional Medical Center and solicit donations for food banks.

Recently, the coalition has been preparing for the possibility of a hurricane striking before the pandemic subsides.

"From what I saw in the books, it looks like we'll have 4-6 major storms this year," Hart said. "It's entirely possible."

That ominous possibility was brought home this week when Tropical Storm Arthur skirted the region, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to much of Eastern North Carolina. The official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is June 1.

The coalition is currently drafting plans for "mass feeding," talking through potential disaster scenarios and conducting roundtable exercises to practice its response.

Hart added the organization will virtually meet with the National Weather Service in June to review plans.

Prior to hurricane season, the coalition consults businesses on how they can prepare for potential flooding and evacuation.

"We tell them to definitely know what kind of flood zone their business is in, keep things a foot or two off the ground, unplug all electronics," Hart said, adding that the organization reviews insurance options with each company. "We also tell them to upload their data to cloud storage and keep emergency kits."

For families, the group distributes water, tarps and hygiene kits -- and makes plans for childcare when possible. In the recovery phase, it offers spiritual and emotional counseling.

Besides the city and county, the coalition receives donations from nearly a dozen nonprofits and faith-based groups.

Reporter Jonathan Haynes can be reached at 910-343-2261 or [email protected].

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