Skip to navigationSkip to content
RECOVERY, INTERRUPTED

Coronavirus has upended Florida’s long, slow recovery from 2018’s brutal hurricane season

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Hurricane Michael was one of the strongest storms to make landfall in US history. Nearly two years later, the recovery was ongoing–and then coronavirus hit.
From our Obsession
The climate economy
Every industry can be part of the solution — or part of the ongoing problem.
  • Tim McDonnell
By Tim McDonnell

Climate reporter

As the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins this week, forecasters are saying it may be one of the most active on record. Add to that the coronavirus pandemic, which promises to complicate every stage of hurricane response, from emergency aid to reconstruction of homes and economies.

But disaster response is a long game—which means Covid-19 is already disrupting recovery from storms that are in our rearview mirror.

Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle in October 2018. The brunt of the storm fell on Bay County, Florida, where the pandemic has thrown rebuilding months behind schedule, leaving hundreds of families without homes and struggling to get back on their feet.

Enrich your perspective. Embolden your work. Become a Quartz member.

Your membership supports a team of global Quartz journalists reporting on the forces shaping our world. We make sense of accelerating change and help you get ahead of it with business news for the next era, not just the next hour. Subscribe to Quartz today.

Start free trial
Log in

Membership includes:

こちらは英語版への登録ページです。
Quartz Japanへの登録をご希望の方はこちらから。