"With hurricane season in full swing, the Trump administration's public sidelining of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic could stoke fears about the safety of hurricane shelters, experts worry.
The nation's top public health agency has been at the center of debate over whether to reopen the nation's schools. Last month, the agency downplayed the risks of schools reopening following weeks of pressure from President Trump, who said the CDC's original guidance was "asking schools to do very impractical things."
The CDC has also issued official guidance on how to ensure hurricane shelters are safe, with many municipalities relying on the documents to prepare for storms this season. While that guidance hasn't attracted the president's ire just yet, the public debate over schools has eroded trust in the CDC, and some fear the public won't think shelters are safe when the time comes to evacuate."
