Severe Storms in the South
Every year, states in the Deep South face tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. Depending on their proximity to the Gulf, some states have hurricane season to look forward to as well. 2020 has not been kind to Dixie so far. Tornadoes swept through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi recently, resulting in billions of dollars of property damage and dozens of deaths. Thunderstorms continue to cycle through, causing the usual floods, power outages and other natural inconveniences. On any normal year, this might be the whole story, but 2020 is not a normal year.
COVID-19 Numbers
The coronavirus has shut down the whole world, and the United States is certainly not exempt. Businesses and places of assembly and worship are closed, except for the “essential” services, people who do venture out are wearing masks and gloves and keeping six feet away at all times. While the South has not been the hardest hit, the numbers are nothing to dismiss. Mississippi is face over 4,000 confirmed cases, Alabama over 5,000, Tennessee is in the 7,000-8,000 range. These have been lucky, with nearby Georgia with almost 20,000 cases, and Florida more than 27,000. While many of these have recovered, it compounds the problem of storm season.
Intersecting Disasters
This sort of crisis is unprecedented and has the potential to introduce impossible decisions to the populations of the American South. For example, if a tornado were to sweep through, how would that emergency intersect with the quarantine? What if there was a large-scale disaster? Normal FEMA shelters and food suppliers could be a social distancing nightmare.
Add to that the possibility of essential businesses being destroyed or shut down further, and these states are left with some very high stakes rolls of the dice every time the weather radar starts to show red. While several large urban locations are found, the South is still largely a rural region. Those in dire straits outside of the cities face further complications should something go wrong.
Intervention, Insurance and More
The insurance claims from the Tennessee tornadoes alone exceed $1 billion. The entire COVID-19 pandemic remains insurance worst-case scenario, with lawsuits filed over business interruption exemptions. Insurers plan to return premiums to their customers in some states.
If something big were to happen in Alabama or Mississippi, similar intervention is to be expected. Insurers are digging in their heels against public pressure to break contract and help, claiming to need to stay liquid. When the possibilities of storm season in the South are considered, this is understandable. While nothing has happened to force anyone’s hand yet, this year does not seem to be very forgiving to terrible possibilities.
Sources:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2020/03/30/preparing-dixie-alley-season/5086757002/
https://www.apr.org/post/tornado-or-virus-pandemic-means-tough-sheltering-decisions