The coronavirus pandemic has already ravaged the United States, but it seems that more misery is in store. The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center, Miami has said that there is a high possibility that Hurricane Douglas will reach the Hawaiian Islands by July 26. Still, many experts believe that it will just arrive as a tropical storm. It will be the first hurricane to threaten the country as it presents fresh challenges to the officials who have been dealing with tropical storms only lately. Hurricane experts have opined that although it was more than 1500 miles from Hilo as on Wednesday evening, it has intensified into a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds reaching up to 100 mph. It is expected that the hurricane will start to weaken as it moves to cooler waters.
The news is posing significant challenges for the authorities as they struggle to create shelter space for people as instructions are already there to maintain a distance of 6 ft between 2 persons. There are plans to set up as many as 20 shelters, but the final number will depend upon the severity of the storm. The Mayor of Honolulu has signed a proclamation that will allow indoor gatherings of more than 50 people so that the city can take adequate measures to respond to Hurricane Douglas.
All the people who will be housed in the shelters will have to undergo compulsory temperature screening and health checkups to ensure that they are free from any COVID-19 symptoms. The shelter location is not yet finalized, but in all likelihood, it will be a hotel. The new rules on the number of indoor gatherings have come into force, although the number of daily cases has reached 60, which is an all-time high. In light of this, the Mayor has requested citizens to stay at home if their building has been made as per the Building Code post-2006. They should only come to the shelter when they fear that their house is too dangerous to live.
