The CDC Says People Who Live Here Need to Take Extra COVID Precautions

The coronavirus pandemic has raged on for the past six months and shown no signs of stopping anytime soon. Unfortunately, for many, a new disaster is on its way. Hurricane season typically hits its peak during the months of August to October, and it mainly affects those living in Southeastern states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Louisiana. Though hurricane season comes every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that preparing for this natural disaster will be more complicated this year because of the coronavirus. These are some of the extra COVID precautions the agency recommends that people living in hurricane-heavy areas take. And for more coronavirus facts, You're Twice as Likely to Catch COVID If You're This Height, Research Says.

If you need to evacuate your home, you need to take your COVID-19 safety supplies with you. So the CDC recommends creating a "go kit" with items such as hand sanitizer, liquid or bar soap, disinfectant wipes, and two cloth face coverings for each person in your household, in addition to the items you would normally have ready for an emergency. For more on personal safety, Wearing This One Item to Avoid COVID Is a Huge Mistake, Doctors Warn.

Because certain items are harder to come by amid the pandemic, the CDC advises that people living in hard-hit hurricane areas allow themselves "more time than usual to prepare [their] emergency food, water, and medicine supplies" for hurricane season.

According to the CDC, "home delivery is the safest choice for buying disaster supplies." However, they note that this may not be an option for everyone—so if the only way you can get supplies is by in-person shopping, they recommend taking steps to protect yourself and others while doing so, including wearing a mask and maintaining a social distance. And for a look into the future, Here's When You're No Longer at Risk of Getting COVID, Harvard Doctor Says.

The CDC notes that shelter locations may be different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. So make sure you get informed on any changes before disaster strikes and you have to evacuate. They've also released specific guidelines on staying safe and healthy in a public disaster shelter during the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed down many services because safety precautions are more rigorous, and that may include power and water outages during hurricane season. While you may use a generator to bide this time, the CDC recommends taking steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning if doing so. This includes never using a generator inside your home or garage, keeping the generator more than 20 feet away from your home, and maintaining properly functioning carbon monoxide detectors. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.