Emergency Planning for AtRisk Groups

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Emergency Planning for At-Risk Groups

• How your agency can be involved

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Outline

• Importance of planning for at-risk groups
• Personal preparedness
• Organizational preparedness
• Community and county preparedness
• How your organization can be involved

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Who is at Risk During an Emergency?

• Anyone with increased risk of severe
  disaster-related consequences
• Economic disadvantage
• Absence of a support network
• Needing support to be independent in daily
  activities
• Difficulty reading, speaking, or understanding
  English

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• Esther
• 89 years old
• Lives alone
• Has no car, family lives out of state
• History of heart disease
• Laura
• 5 years old
• Parents are undocumented immigrants
• James
• 35 years old
• Blind
• Lives with fiancée

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Hurricane Katrina - 2005

• 73 of Hurricane Katrina-related deaths in New
  Orleans area were among persons age 60 and over,
  although they comprised only 15 percent of the
  population in New Orleans
• Most had medical conditions and functional or
  sensory disabilities that made them more
  vulnerable
• AARP, We Can Do Better Lessons Learned for
  Protecting Older Persons in Disasters, 2006

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Issues Facing At-Risk Groups

• Maintaining independence
• Communication
• Transportation
• Supervision
• Medical care

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Emergency Preparedness
County, State, National Preparedness
Community Preparedness
Organizational Preparedness
Personal Preparedness
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Personal Preparedness
What Can You Do?
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Who Needs to be Prepared?

• You
• Your family
• Employees at your organization
• People served by your organization

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Personal Preparedness

• Think aheadmake an emergency plan
• Evacuation from your home
• Communication during emergency
• Plans for pets
• Make an emergency kit
• Does not need to be complicated or expensive
• Stay informed
• Local emergency plans and services
• Get involved
• Know your neighbors and check on those at-risk
• Join Community Emergency Response Teams

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Personal Preparedness for At-Risk Individuals

• Learn basic homecare skills
• Work with providers and social support networks
  to develop contingency plans for an emergency
• Develop food and fluid supply lists for special
  dietary needs
• Carry a wallet card with a list of medications
• Maintain food and supplies for the health and
  well-being of service animals and pets

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Organizational Preparedness
Is Your Organization Ready?
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Preparing your Organization

• Make an emergency plan
• Encourage personal preparedness for employees and
  clients
• Determine how to continue services during an
  emergency

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Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)

• Making sure your organization can continue to
  operate during an emergency
• Under stressful conditions
• With fewer staff and other resources
• With increased demand for services

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COOP Objectives

• Ensure safety of employees
• Ensure continuous performance of essential
  operations
• Protect essential equipment, records, and other
  assets
• Reduce disruption of operations
• Minimize damage and losses
• Achieve a timely and orderly recovery

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Ensuring Safety

• Shelter in Place
• Safe area
• Food and water
• Evacuation
• Go Kits
• Transportation
• Destination

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Continuing Essential Operations

• Prioritize key functions
• Identify minimum staff, equipment, and procedures
  necessary to operate
• Plan what to do if your building is not available
• Plan for payroll continuity
• Train people for emergency functions
• Create/update contact list

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Community County Preparedness
How Can Your Organization Get Involved?
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COUNTY NAME County Special Needs Advisory Panel
(SNAP)

• A small advisory group of social service
  providers representing various at-risk
  populations.

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SNAP Purpose

• To ensure that the concerns and needs of older
  adults, persons with disabilities, persons who
  are economically disadvantaged, and/or persons
  with limited English proficiency are
  appropriately considered and addressed in public
  health emergency planning and response in
  COUNTY NAME County.

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SNAP Activities

• Provide information and guidance to LOCAL HEALTH
  DEPARTMENT /OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT about how
  to plan for and communicate with at-risk
  populations before, during, and after emergencies
• Provide feedback on creating a Community
  Communications Network to share messages with
  agencies serving at-risk populations

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Why get involved?

• You know the people your organization serves
• You are in a unique position to advocate for them
• Planning before an emergency can save lives,
  reduce illness and injury, and speed recovery
• Doing something NOW is better than hoping for
  assistance during an emergency

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What are the benefits?

• You can
• Identify strategies that empower at-risk
  individuals to prepare for emergencies
• Share ideas and resources with other agencies
• Reduce duplication of efforts across agencies
• Influence public policy

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SNAP Meetings

• DATE
• TIME
• LOCATION
• Come with ideas!

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Contact Us!

• YOUR CONTACT INFO
• NAME
• TITLE
• EMAIL ADDRESS
• PHONE NUMBER

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Tools Available for COOP

• NC Division of Public Health COOP Template
  http//www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/pandemic/Appen
  dixS1_2007.pdf
• Nursing homes www.hsem.state.mn.us/uploadedfile/CO
  OP_Service_Continuation_Planning.ppt
• Agencies serving vulnerable populations
  http//www.smhealth.org/vgn/images/portal/cit_609/
  19/7/898775681vulnerabletemplate-011607finaldrafta
  ndforms.pdf

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Resources

• CARD. Prepare Your Business to Prosper! 9 Small
  Steps that Reap Huge Rewards. http//www.cardcanhe
  lp.org/downloads/Business.pdf. Accessed April
  14, 2009.