As an aging services provider in North Carolina, part of your agreement to receive state funds to provide services was that your agency would develop a disaster response plan. Frail older adults needing services will continue to need assistance during a disaster. Preparing contingency plans will help to ensure service delivery.
Contingency plans are "What Ifs" that describe what may occur and what must be dealt with. The best way to be able to continue to serve the older adults in your community during and after a disaster is to be prepared - to have thought through what might happen and to have pre-decided how events would be handled and what staff members would be involved.
Local Emergency Management and the local chapter of the American Red Cross should be a part of the planning process as should Triangle J Area Agency on Aging. A variety of other agencies and organizations would also be appropriate.
Emergency Management and the Red Cross have the authority to pull assets from other areas. If they know who you are, what you do, and how you function, they may be able to provide assistance beyond what you think they can provide. Everyone benefits from working together before, during, and after a disaster event.
The Red Cross no longer operates Special Needs Shelters but they do operate regular shelters complete with a multitude of volunteers covered under their insurance policy. Emergency Management has the authority to requisition equipment and supplies from both governmental and non-governmental agencies during an officially declared disaster. Either one of these organizations/agencies has the potential to offer a local aging service provider many more resources than the agency could obtain on it's own.
Each county should have a written disaster response plan. Your agency should be a part of this plan. Emergency Management would like to see the plan divided into Common Function Areas with agencies and individuals identified as responsible for each. It is critical that the plan be coordinated with the local county Emergency Management Office.To develop the plan, after assignments are made for the Function Areas, the tasked individuals should work to construct contingency plans to ensure continuation of service for the Function Area(s) to which they are assigned.
Consider:
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Each Function Area plan should be based upon a practical method to ensure service delivery and each plan should have a number of specific recommendations that would also be included in the Disaster Response Plan. For example, the "Food & Water" group would consider the ramifications should the caterer be unable to continue providing meals. Plans should be made to store emergency meals where they are accessible immediately following a disaster. The group would include in its recommendations a listing of alternate suppliers who would agree to provide meals temporarily. The names of key members of each group should be recorded with the recommendations.
Getting local agencies together, thinking through contingencies, coming to agreement, and writing down those plans may seem like a lot of work. But, should a disaster strike, having pre-determined agreements and a framework for operations will make everything go so much more smoothly. Be sure to include backup support. In the aftermath of a disaster, staff members may not be able to get to a centralized location and communications may be out. The older adults in your community - especially the frail homebound - will be thankful that you took the time.
Another thing to consider is Advance Infrastructure Mitigation or AIM. The plan is a requirement for counties and is recommended for certain non-profits that benefit the community. Why? Because the consequence of not preparing a mitigation plan is a reduced federal share of assistance to repair damaged facilities.
To help you with your considerations, the National Disaster Education Coalition has developed on online guide called "Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages". The hope is that agencies helping the public prepare for disasters will be consistent nationwide. The coalition members are a "who's who" of disaster response and planning.The guide offers general information about the threats presented by each type of disaster and a description of what people should do to prepare for and get safely through a disaster with "how to" indicators. It also offers a "Fact or Fiction" component to help with myths and folklore that often circulate. It is an excellent start for your agency discussion with step by step guidelines to assist you.
The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster have put together a long-term recovery manual. They discuss what the stages of disaster recovery are like and how to address the needs of each stage. The underlying concept has a focus on collaborative partnerships defined and developed before a disaster event. They also offer other information about how to organize a volunteer disaster response group.
Another area that would be useful to understand is how to assist individuals with chronic health issues during and after a disaster event. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have compiled information on the following conditions related to after a disaster and the need for safe treatment:
More relevant medical information for service providers:
As you develop your plan, be sure to address the issue of liability of staff and your agency as you provide disaster services. We have put together some basic indicators and information for you to help as you work through how your agency will respond to disaster situations while protecting staff.
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