Safety tips to keep in mind while staying at a hurricane shelter during COVID-19 pandemic

If you're in the path of a hurricane, wildfire or other natural disaster, your local public safety agency may issue an evacuation order to keep your community safe. Even if you have evacuated before, things are different in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are some evacuation tips to keep in mind from AccuWeather:

• Take some time to create a family evacuation plan or review your existing one, keeping in mind that locations you normally relied on for shelter may no longer be available due to the pandemic.
• When sheltering, continue to practice social distancing and keep at least six feet of space between your family and others from outside your household.
• In addition to your usual emergency supplies, remember to bring soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes or other household cleaning supplies to sanitize high-touch objects and surfaces.
• Since you will be sheltering in an indoor space with people from outside your household, review your state or city's regulations about face masks to make sure you remain in compliance with local orders.

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MORE HURRICANE & SEVERE WEATHER EXPLAINERS:

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• How does a hurricane form?
• When does a tropical storm become a hurricane?
• How tropical storms and hurricanes can cause tornadoes
• Hurricane, cyclone and typhoon: What's the difference?