'Hurricane fatigue' might be settling in with 8th Gulf storm of 2020

Courtney Fischer Image
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Hurricane fatigue may be settling in with Delta incoming
Delta is the latest storm in this busy 2020 Atlantic hurricane season to impact the Gulf Coast. And as the people in the video tell us, fatigue might be settling in.

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Hurricane Delta, which is expected to make an impact to southeast Texas upon landfall on Friday, marks the eighth different tropical disturbance that people along the Gulf Coast have had to pay attention to this year.

2020 is, without a doubt, among the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.

While they may feel commonplace for us living in the region, emergency officials will typically tell people to be mindful of the incoming weather threat, take precautions and prepare for the worst.

In Galveston on Thursday, just before Delta's landfall mainly in Louisiana, residents and visitors to the tourist destination acknowledge there is a sort of "hurricane fatigue" settling in.

"When you have to deal with it every single day, every day without a break, it does wear you down," said Kyle Brunner, a visitor from Lake Charles, Louisiana, where people are still recovering from Hurricane Laura.

RELATED: A look at the aftermath from Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles and Cameron

Watch this SkyEye video tour of the damage in the Lake Charles and Cameron areas of Louisiana.

At least for one other person, the messaging is still vital.

"I think it's important for it to be taken seriously because it's so unpredictable," said Tamara Jones, another Louisiana visitor.

Still, as Stephanie Holsworth of Pearland attested, acknowledging the possible exhaustion of the season, "You kind of ignore it."

It's not just regular, everyday people who realize there's fatigue over the storms.

On Wednesday, Scott Tafuri, who serves Galveston County as emergency management coordinator, knows that it's been a very active season.

"(Delta) is the eighth storm in the Gulf of Mexico, which is really a record for us. So, we constantly talk, it feels like every week or two we talk about another tropical disturbance," Tafuri said.

Still, Tafuri and other emergency managers like him are steadfast in the message.

He added the calls for preparation that were given at the beginning of hurricane season stand true to now, with another threatening storm ready to cause damage.

SEE ALSO: Officials fear disaster fatigue amid COVID-19 pandemic, busy Atlantic hurricane season

Along parts of the Gulf coast, first responders and families are feeling drained from Hurricanes Sally, Laura and others even though there's more rain on the way and more trouble brewing in the tropics with Tropical Storm beta.

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