Along the U.S. coast, when a hurricane or tropical storm is about to hit, contractors on active job sites know they must complete a long checklist of tasks: take down or lower cranes; secure exterior building openings, materials and construction equipment; and remove debris from sites. But due to COVID-19, there’s another big item that’s been added to the checklist: keep workers safe from the new coronavirus through proper social distancing and personal protective equipment. And as the nation faces a hurricane season that is forecast to be above normal in storm frequency and intensity, and possibly hit earlier—Tropical Storm Bertha struck South Carolina’s coast May 27—contractors must also prepare to return to a site and restore it under those same viral conditions.
The 2020 hurricane season, which officially began June 1, “brings unique, parallel challenges to COVID-19 and tropical storm preparedness,” says Rachael Farr, spokeswoman for Birmingham, Ala.-based Robins & Morton. “The pandemic’s most significant impact on hurricane preparedness will remain centered on personal actions due to limited supplies, social distancing, closed shelters and a need for more advanced planning.”