Hurricane Hanna: Storm Makes Landfall in Texas

When natural disasters strike, swift and effective disaster response by local, state and federal officials has always been difficult. The pandemic has made it even harder.

“Hurricanes can be deadly events,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference on Saturday afternoon. “We cannot allow this hurricane to lead to a more catastrophically deadly event by stoking additional spread of Covid-19.”

Mr. Abbott said he was issuing a disaster declaration for 32 counties. Chief W. Nim Kidd of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, usually used for concerts, rodeos and other events, would be converted into a reception center for people who had fled their homes. San Antonio officials were quick to make clear that the arena was not serving as a shelter, but only as a location where evacuees would be given vouchers to stay at hotels in the area.

It was another example of how social distancing is changing where, when and how emergency shelters operate. Officials in California announced recently that the coronavirus was affecting their wildfire preparations, including by having fewer inmates available to assist because of infections and quarantines. But there have been unexpected benefits, too. In late March, a destructive tornado tore through Jonesboro, Ark., and the heart of its commercial district, but not a single person died, in part because businesses were closed and residents were already sheltered at home from the virus.