It’s hurricane season. We all need to develop individual, family, institutional and community plans for evacuation and sheltering in the event of a major storm. The COVID-19 pandemic complicates matters. Not only do we need to worry about the potential spread of this deadly disease, but we must also manage additional economic, social and psychological stressors piled on to hurricane season this year.

We have not focused enough on preparedness during this pandemic.

First and foremost, know your exposure to storm surge, flooding, heavy rainfall, high winds, and the other hazards and threats that can come with a hurricane. These include power loss, disruption of infrastructure and communications systems, and potential damage to our homes and businesses.

Second, iknow where to evacuate and how to get there. Have your go-bag ready with medications, papers, cash, emergency food, supplies, etc. Include face coverings, hand sanitizers, protective gear, cleaning supplies and other materials for reducing risks from the pandemic. Work out how you will travel — walk, bike, transit, private vehicle, taxi or shared-ride service.

You may want to consider sheltering at the home of a family or friend or a hotel, but the pandemic has reduced the availability of some accommodations. If you have a family member in a care home or facility, consider bringing them home in advance of a storm hitting our state.

Third, maintain social distancing and isolate sick or high-risk evacuees with chronic medical conditions during travel and sheltering. This may mean additional screening of evacuees and pre-designating areas or zones for maintaining distance and reducing contact, especially for those most likely to require hospitalization or face adverse conditions if they get the coronavirus. Families and friends may need to plan and accommodate those with special needs, along with pets.

Other communities are focusing on preparedness and evacuation of the homeless and those with limited incomes who may have lost employment. The pandemic has put more families at risk, increasing demand on foodbanks, feeding operations and social services. It also has strained emergency response, health and mutual aid.

There may be strategic opportunities to leverage visitor industry assets and experiences in managing evacuation, sheltering and recovery from a major disaster. It will take strong leadership and innovative thinking to pre-position assets, prepare for and mobilize scarce resources for disasters during these precarious times.

Education, training, exercises, drills and other capacity building are critical. The return on investment will support bounce-back and recovery from the pandemic and also increase our resilience to climate change, sea level rise, and other hazards and threats. This is a time to support first responders, emergency managers and others engaged in protecting the health and well-being of our community.

We all need more information and improved systems for communications and coordination between public, private, nonprofit, faith-based and volunteer organizations involved in preparing for and responding to disasters. A focus on care homes, congregate living and large institutions with students, and crowded multigenerational housing is especially important in managing evacuation and sheltering during a pandemic.

We need more use of technology, not just for mapping high-risk areas, but also for communicating and informing people where to go and how to protect themselves in the event of a hurricane, tsunami or other natural hazard striking Hawaii during the pandemic. Apps are being developed and implemented for screening, contact tracing and informing each other on how best to reduce our exposure to the coronavirus as well as other natsural threats.

A multi-hazard, whole community, integrated approach focused on vulnerable, at-risk individuals combining technology, social science and aloha will help us to weather the storms and avoid harm. It will also provide a pathway for resilience during the pandemic.

Karl Kim, Ph.D., is an urban and regional planning professor at the University of Hawaii, where he directs the Pacific Urban Resilience Lab and the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.