In Georgia, Coronavirus Throws Hurricane Plans Into Turmoil

A damaged home in Savannah is shown in 2016, after a tree split and fell through the roof as Hurricane Matthew affected the Georgia coast. Hurricane season officially starts Monday, and Georgia emergency officials are concerned since they must also plan for dangers posed by the coronavirus.

Kathleen Foody / Associated Press file

Emergency officials in some Georgia coastal counties are nervously bracing for this year’s hurricane season amid new dangers posed by the coronavirus to people who would require help evacuating.

“If we have to evacuate, it’s going to be a nightmare,” said Ty Poppell, director of the Emergency Management Agency in McIntosh County, south of Savannah.

Poppell said putting evacuees on a bus and maintaining 6 feet of space around each person to help prevent potential exposure to the virus would be a big problem.