ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As if a hurricane might not be scary enough, this year, they come with a whole new set of challenges.

“Hurricanes don’t wait for pandemics, and pandemics don’t go away because it’s hurricane season,” said Amber Boulding, Emergency Manager of the City of St. Petersburg.

Boulding says preparing to tackle two emergencies at the same time is no easy feat, so they’re starting early.

“It’s tough because there’s a lot to juggle right now. You have your hurricane hat and then we have the COVID-19 hat. And how are you doing that? So it’s just taking the special risks of each of those,” said Boulding.

St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue is also starting early.

As part of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, they need to be prepared.

“Our job is to respond to disaster response,” said Capt. Todd Livingston.

The force includes a team of 80 personnel, but of course, 80 people in a group is too many according to CDC guidelines.

“We have to figure out how we’re going to set up our base camps and make sure that that’s spread out far enough that it’s a social distance issue and we’re not affecting one another,” said Capt. Livingston.

Capt. Livingston says each member of the force will be pre-screened for coronavirus before they are deployed, and the way they engage with the community could be altered too.

Both officials say the best thing the community can do is prepare early.

“Really again, it’s prioritize and don’t stress yourself out by waiting until the last minute,” said Boulding.

This year, it’s also important to add hand sanitizer and masks to your routine hurricane kits.

This week is also a hurricane sales tax holiday, meaning all hurricane supplies can be purchased tax free.