After Laura, Learning How To Recover From A Hurricane During A Pandemic

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A home near Iowa, La., was crushed by a snapped tree after Hurricane Laura made landfall with 150 mile-per-hour winds Thursday. The area is facing two disasters at once.

Kirk Siegler/NPR

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An aerial view from a drone shows a damaged apartment complex on Saturday in Lake Charles, La. The area took a direct hit.

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Jeremiah Plasters, a search and rescue specialist from Orlando, has been searching for survivors of Hurricane Laura.

Kirk Siegler/NPR

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Jeremiah Plasters, a search and rescue specialist from Orlando, has been searching for survivors of Hurricane Laura.

Kirk Siegler/NPR

«Everybody tested negative, says team leader Jeremiah Plasters. «Since we’re all staying together and we’re using our PPE, the only way that we would get it is by someone else making contact with us.

But if they pull people out of wrecked homes into their small boats and trucks, there is no way to be sure they’re not exposing themselves to COVID-19.

Louisiana officials have warned that public coronavirus testing, like so many services, has been disrupted. That means there will be limited data about how the cycle of evacuation and return may have spread the virus. While the damage from the Laura’s 150 mile-per-hour winds revealed itself after the storm passed, the true impact of the hurricane may take weeks to assess.