Final weeks of census marred by bad weather

ORLANDO, Fla. — Already burdened by the coronavirus pandemic and a tightened deadline, the Census Bureau must now contend with several natural disasters as wildfires and hurricanes disrupt the final weeks of the nation’s once-a-decade head count.

The fires on the West Coast forced tens of thousands of people to flee homes in California and Oregon before they could be counted, and tens of thousands of others were uncounted in Louisiana communities hit hard last month by Hurricane Laura. Nearly a quarter-million more households were uncounted in areas affected this week by Hurricane Sally.

The disasters add to the already-laborious task of counting of every U.S. resident and increase the risk that the effort will miss people in some parts of the country.

“I can’t project if Mother Nature is going to let us finish, but we are going to do the best we can,” said Al Fontenot, associate director of the Census Bureau, who has repeatedly said the bureau is on target to complete the count at the end of the month.

The disasters make it challenging or impossible for census takers to visit households that have not yet answered questionnaires. And time is running out, with just two weeks left until the census is scheduled to end on Sept. 30.

In major cities in California and Oregon, smoke from nearby wildfires poses a health threat for census takers as they knock on doors.

“It’s really smoky, and no one wants to open their doors because of the hazardous air. I gave up yesterday and do not plan to go out today unless it improves,” said a San Francisco census taker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Officials in San Jose, California, are encouraging residents to respond to census questions online or by phone or mail.