COVID-19 and Hurricane Evacuations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

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Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) region is particularly vulnerable to the hazards of a hurricane and its associated cascading impacts from the social, infrastructure, and ecological realms. Associated landslides, non-hardened infrastructure, and immense electricity vulnerability are just some of the hazards seen in previous storms like Hurricane Maria. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, even a minor hurricane has the potential to become a compound hazard when coupled with the emergency response required as social distancing is in direct conflict with human mobility and congregation. This study, conducted during 2020 and 2021, examines how the compounding hazards of the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes affect peoples’ risk perceptions, preparedness planning, and evacuation decisions while considering the role of social determinants of health in disasters. Two surveys were disseminated virtually, one each during the 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons, using convenience sampling to residents in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (PRVI). Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on how people make their decisions to evacuate. Over half of the sample considered themselves vulnerable to COVID-19 due to existing health concerns. When asked about their evacuation actions, a significant number of individuals who would have previously evacuated to a shelter would choose not to during the pandemic. Additionally, individuals were shown to have a negative perception of public shelter options, with many people viewing public shelters as overtly risky due to COVID-19 concerns and would instead choose to shelter-in-place despite a recommendation to evacuate to a safer location or a government-operated shelter. Data from the 2021 hurricane season, although still preliminary, have shown that vaccination status would not affect evacuation decisions for 70% of the sample. This study will help apply knowledge for future pandemic disaster planning by revealing improvements for public messaging that will ultimately save lives and determining planning and logistical requirements.