Emergency Planning for Emergency Planning for At-Risk GroupsAt-Risk Groups

How your agency can be How your agency can be involvedinvolved

OutlineOutline

Importance of planning for at-risk groupsImportance of planning for at-risk groups

Personal preparednessPersonal preparedness

Organizational preparednessOrganizational preparedness

Community and county preparednessCommunity and county preparedness– How your organization can be involvedHow your organization can be involved

Who is at Risk Who is at Risk During an Emergency?During an Emergency?

Anyone with increased risk of severe Anyone with increased risk of severe disaster-related consequencesdisaster-related consequences– Economic disadvantage Economic disadvantage – Absence of a support networkAbsence of a support network– Needing support to be independent in daily Needing support to be independent in daily

activitiesactivities– Difficulty reading, speaking, or understanding Difficulty reading, speaking, or understanding

EnglishEnglish

EstherEsther– 89 years old89 years old– Lives aloneLives alone– Has no car, family lives out of stateHas no car, family lives out of state– History of heart diseaseHistory of heart disease

LauraLaura– 5 years old5 years old– Parents are undocumented Parents are undocumented

immigrants immigrants

JamesJames– 35 years old35 years old– BlindBlind– Lives with fiancéeLives with fiancée

Hurricane Hurricane Katrina - 2005Katrina - 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

Issues Facing At-Risk GroupsIssues Facing At-Risk Groups

Maintaining independenceMaintaining independence

CommunicationCommunication

TransportationTransportation

SupervisionSupervision

Medical careMedical care

Emergency PreparednessEmergency Preparedness

Personal Preparedness

Organizational Preparedness

Community Preparedness

County, State, & National Preparedness

Personal Personal PreparednessPreparedness

What Can You Do?

Who Needs to be Prepared?Who Needs to be Prepared?

YouYou

Your familyYour family

Employees at your organizationEmployees at your organization

People served by your organizationPeople served by your organization

Personal PreparednessPersonal Preparedness

Think ahead…make an emergency planThink ahead…make an emergency plan– Evacuation from your homeEvacuation from your home– Communication during emergencyCommunication during emergency– Plans for petsPlans for pets

Make an emergency kitMake an emergency kit– Does not need to be complicated or expensiveDoes not need to be complicated or expensive

Stay informedStay informed– Local emergency plans and servicesLocal emergency plans and services

Get involvedGet involved– Know your neighbors and check on those at-riskKnow your neighbors and check on those at-risk– Join Community Emergency Response TeamsJoin Community Emergency Response Teams

Personal Preparedness for Personal Preparedness for At-Risk IndividualsAt-Risk Individuals

Learn basic homecare skillsLearn basic homecare skills

Work with providers and social support networks to Work with providers and social support networks to develop contingency plans for an emergency develop contingency plans for an emergency

Develop food and fluid supply lists for special dietary Develop food and fluid supply lists for special dietary needsneeds

Carry a wallet card with a list of medications Carry a wallet card with a list of medications

Maintain food and supplies for the health and well-Maintain food and supplies for the health and well-being of service animals and petsbeing of service animals and pets

Organizational Organizational PreparednessPreparedness

Is Your Organization Ready?

Preparing your OrganizationPreparing your Organization

Make an emergency planMake an emergency plan

Encourage personal Encourage personal preparedness for preparedness for employees and clientsemployees and clients

Determine how to continue Determine how to continue services during an services during an emergencyemergency

Continuity of Operations Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)Planning (COOP)

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

COOP ObjectivesCOOP Objectives

Ensure safety of employeesEnsure safety of employees

Ensure continuous performance of Ensure continuous performance of essential operationsessential operations

Protect essential equipment, records, and Protect essential equipment, records, and other assetsother assets

Reduce disruption of operationsReduce disruption of operations

Minimize damage and losses Minimize damage and losses

Achieve a timely and orderly recoveryAchieve a timely and orderly recovery

Ensuring SafetyEnsuring Safety

Shelter in PlaceShelter in Place– Safe areaSafe area– Food and waterFood and water

EvacuationEvacuation– ““Go Kits”Go Kits”– TransportationTransportation– DestinationDestination

Continuing Essential OperationsContinuing Essential Operations

Prioritize key functionsPrioritize key functions

Identify minimum staff, equipment, and Identify minimum staff, equipment, and procedures necessary to operateprocedures necessary to operate

Plan what to do if your building is not Plan what to do if your building is not availableavailable

Plan for payroll continuityPlan for payroll continuity

Train people for emergency functionsTrain people for emergency functions

Create/update contact listCreate/update contact list

Community & Community & County County

PreparednessPreparedness

How Can Your Organization Get Involved?

[COUNTY NAME][COUNTY NAME] County Special County Special Needs Advisory Panel (SNAP)Needs Advisory Panel (SNAP)

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

SNAP PurposeSNAP Purpose

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

SNAP ActivitiesSNAP Activities

Provide information and guidance to Provide information and guidance to [LOCAL [LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT &/OR EMERGENCY HEALTH DEPARTMENT &/OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT]MANAGEMENT] about how to about how to plan forplan for and and communicate withcommunicate with at-risk populations before, at-risk populations before, during, and after emergenciesduring, and after emergencies

Provide feedback on creating a Community Provide feedback on creating a Community Communications Network to share messages Communications Network to share messages with agencies serving at-risk populationswith agencies serving at-risk populations

Why get involved?Why get involved?

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

What are the benefits?What are the benefits?

You can:You can:

Identify strategies that empower at-risk Identify strategies that empower at-risk individuals to prepare for emergenciesindividuals to prepare for emergencies

Share ideas and resources with other Share ideas and resources with other agenciesagencies

Reduce duplication of efforts across Reduce duplication of efforts across agencies agencies

Influence public policy Influence public policy

SNAP MeetingsSNAP Meetings

[DATE][DATE]

[TIME][TIME]

[LOCATION][LOCATION]

Come with ideas!Come with ideas!

Contact Us!Contact Us!

YOUR CONTACT INFOYOUR CONTACT INFO

[NAME][NAME]

[TITLE][TITLE]

[EMAIL ADDRESS][EMAIL ADDRESS]

[PHONE NUMBER][PHONE NUMBER]

Tools Available for COOPTools Available for COOP

NC Division of Public Health COOP NC Division of Public Health COOP Template Template http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/pandemic/AppendixS1_2007.pdf

Nursing homes Nursing homes www.hsem.state.mn.us/uploadedfile/COOP_Service_Continuation_www.hsem.state.mn.us/uploadedfile/COOP_Service_Continuation_Planning.ppt Planning.ppt

Agencies serving vulnerable populations Agencies serving vulnerable populations http://www.smhealth.org/vgn/images/portal/cit_609/19/7/898775681vulnerabletemplate-011607finaldraftandforms.pdf

ResourcesResources

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