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Emergency Disaster Preparedness

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, at least 140 residents of long-term care facilities died—either in nursing homes or during botched evacuations. About 60 percent of nursing homes failed to evacuate successfully before the storm hit. Federal regulations require all nursing home administrators to have emergency plans in place that include arrangements for transportation, shelter and supplies including food and medicine. But many of these plans failed. Emergency transportation contracts were not honored in the case of at least five long-term care facilities—in part because multiple facilities contracted with the same companies, either not recognizing or not anticipating a disaster of Katrina’s magnitude. Subsequently, many frail and disabled residents were herded on to non-air-conditioned buses and vans. Clearly, FEMA and long-term care providers need to do a better job of coordinating the immediate response to an emergency and the subsequent evacuation of our elderly, frail and disabled seniors.

In a recent proposal to the National Disaster Medical System (which houses FEMA) the American Health Care Association recommends developing increased coordination plans between emergency managers and long-term care service providers. Where do you think the system failed? At the local or federal level...or both? What are your thoughts on ways to improve disaster preparedness for our frail and elderly?

Posted in: Emergencies, Emergency Preparedness, Senior Care News

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2 Responses to “Emergency Disaster Preparedness”

1. NoraL2006 Says:
   

   Well, even for the nursing homes that had emergency evacuation plans, I don’t think that anyone could have predicted the devastation of Katrina.

2. theresa_715 Says:
   

   There definitely could have been better communications in the case of an emergency. Maybe long-term care facilities should have backup ham radios and satellite phones just in case.

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