A Review of Hurricane Disaster Planning for the Elderly

Abstract

Frail elderly people are particularly vulnerable during hurricanes. Of the 1,330 people known to have perished along the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Katrina, 71% of those in Louisiana were older than 60 years, 47% were older than 75 years, and at least 68 died in nursing homes. Unfortunately, community disaster planning frequently fails to allow for the needs of the frail elderly before, during, and after hurricanes. This paper discusses the particular vulnerabilities of the frail elderly, especially those with chronic diseases, those in residential care facilities, and those who are dialysis‐dependent. The importance of the Incident Management System (IMS) is discussed, and those who care for the frail elderly in long‐term care facilities must understand and use IMS in dealing with hurricane‐related disasters. Recommendations are made that will improve hurricane disaster planning for the frail elderly. From a policy viewpoint, it is critical that the elderly, especially those with chronic diseases, be included in disaster planning at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that a repeat of the Hurricane Katrina debacle does not occur.

Animais de estimação em contexto de desastres: desafios de (des)proteção

“…Menciona-se que a equipe de atendimentos de emergência e de saúde é mais propensa a atuar sem o absenteísmo de seus membros se os cuidados com os seus próprios animais de estimação forem fornecidos (Chaffee, 2006;McCann, 2011). Em seu estudo, Irvine (2004) compara a afetação de animais de estimação em dois diferentes desastres relacionados à passagem de furacões.…”

Contributing to Geriatric Health and Well-Being Through Improving Community Resilience Capacities

“…While there is no agreed defi nition of community resilience, it can be described as: the ongoing and developing capacity of the community to account for its vulnerabilities and develop capabilities that aid that community in (1) preventing, withstanding, and mitigating the stress of a health incident; (2) recovering in a way that restores the community to a state of self-suffi ciency and at least the same level of health and social functioning after a health incident; and (3) using knowledge from a past response to strengthen the community's ability to withstand the next health incident [ 19 ].…”

‘The trauma of the cyclone has changed us forever’: self-reliance, vulnerability and resilience among older Australians in cyclone-prone areas

“…Combined with outcome expectancy (action and situation), these variables assist in explaining how the physical, cognitive and financial effects of ageing can impair a person's decision-making process when faced with the possible impact of a severe cyclone, as it is directly linked to risk perception, which is central to hazard behaviour research. This is evident in recent hurricane literature emphasising the importance of the SCT, with researchers focusing their attention on understanding an individual's reaction within a personal context, including health, age, socio-economic status, location, access to services and financial position (Elliott and Pais 2006; Horney et al 2012; McCann 2011).…”