HOUSTON — Texas residents are keeping a close eye on a tropical disturbance in the Gulf.
At the moment, it has a 50-percent chance of developing over the next five days.
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It is a reminder to stay weather aware, but what role does the current coronavirus crisis play in preparing for severe weather?
Harris County meteorologist Jeff Lindner said the county's office of emergency management said they’ve known the coronavirus would play a factor in the way they respond even before the start of this year’s hurricane season.
“We’re going to do what we need to do to save people’s lives,” Lindner said.
He said it’s important for residents to consider the pandemic when planning for a hurricane.
“Have some of those items in your hurricane kit maybe that you wouldn’t have had before,” Lindner said. “For example, a mask or gloves or anything like that.”
Ready Harris and the American Red Cross have plans in place in case people need to evacuate to meet CDC guidelines.
“The idea is to increase the number of buses if you need buses, the number of shelters if you need shelters, because if you think about it, it comes down to a space issue," Lindner said.
“We now will have them in hotels, or university dormitories or campgrounds," said Ekland Durousseau with the Red Cross.
Durousseau said the Red Cross is in need of at least 700 people to jump into action in case they’re needed along the Texas coast.
“The very last resort will be a more traditional shelter and those will be smaller, and when I say smaller, I mean the number of people that will be in the shelter,” she said.
Lindner added they can’t have people who are unprepared because of the pandemic so it’s best if you start planning now.