CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — Hurricane season began June 1and runs through November 30, 2020, and the Texas General Land Office wants to make sure Texans on the coast and inland are prepared should a storm arise.
This year, however, the playbook has changed on how we should prepare for hurricane season to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, that adds to what we might need to bring with us. You might need to consider bringing masks, gloves, or disinfecting wipes. Many shelters don’t have soap and shaving soap in your to-go kit ready to go is really vital,” said Texas General Land Office Communications Director Brittany Eck.
Weather experts have predicted 3 to 6 named major storms that could make landfall in South Texas this summer.
“South Texas is no stranger to storms. You have had several storms throughout history, and we want to make sure that all of those residents are prepared to evacuate the area and do so safely with all the supplies they need,” said Eck.
We can’t stop the next storm from happening, but with the lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey, we can be better prepared.
“The primary thing that we learned is the importance of flood insurance. Folks that were hit by Hurricane Harvey that flooded, only 17 percent of those households actually had flood insurance. These long-term monies do take some time to get going in the local communities,” said Eck.
Hurricane Harvey was one of the largest and most intense hurricanes to slam Texas, causing more than 150 billion dollars in damages. The best way to prepare for hurricane season is to have a plan in place.
Things Texans should be doing right now include building a hurricane kit with three to seven days of water and food, stocking up on prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, pet supplies, and batteries for radios and flashlights.
