HOUSTON — It’s not just first responders making preparations for next week, but also volunteer rescue groups that we saw form during Harvey.
With the sun still shining in the Bayou City, it’s hard to know exactly what two storms in the Gulf will bring.
“It can be a challenge. Normally we focus on one," said Chris Fontaine, who formed Disaster Rescue Response Specialist during Harvey.
“Harvey came in, that was a big one, but now we don’t have as much help coming from the east if they get hit at the same time," he said.
Fontaine said the coronavirus pandemic is forcing his volunteers to carry more supplies.
“With our response, it’s going to add another layer of PPE,” he said.
Traditional first responders in the Texas Medical Center are also getting prepared.
“8 to 12 hours prior to the arrival of landfall, we switch teams out and the ride out team comes in," said Tom Flanagan, vice president of Trauma Service Line and System Integration.
For the ride out team, Flanagan said they have made adjustments because of COVID-19.
“We have had to go through and identify more sleep areas than we normally do only because of all the social distancing requirements," he said.
Meantime, volunteer groups are staging rescue boats across the city just like they did during Harvey while still watching the skies, hoping the storm takes another turn.
“Hopefully our teams aren’t needed, but if we are needed that we will be able to support the community as needed," Fontaine said.
At Memorial Hermann, Flanagan said they usually see a rise in patients once the storm passes. He wants people coming to the hospital to know there’s still a no-visitor policy, and expect all the pandemic precautions to still be in place.