Helping Patients Prepare for Disaster

There are images from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that will remain etched in our collective memory for all time. As experts continue to scrutinize, analyze, and create corrective action plans in the wake of the response, there is one simple truth that should not be lost: People have to be better prepared to ride out any major emergency. As medical care professionals, you are in a unique position to provide guidance to the most vulnerable of our neighbors: those that require additional assistance.

Living in an area far removed from traditional hurricane hot spots, it may be easy to assume that an event like Hurricane Katrina could not happen in our community. However, our region is not without its fair share of disaster threats. In addition to the widely publicized possibility of earthquakes and fires, residents should also be prepared for more common, everyday emergencies like water main breaks and power outages. A truly successful emergency response effort is predicated on a proactive, prepared public.

Individuals who are medically fragile require extra planning to ensure their personal preparedness. As medical professionals, you consult with this population on a regular basis and learn the individual challenges facing each patient. This, coupled with the trust you elicit from those you assist, lends well to a successful, motivating conversation about disaster preparedness. Providing education and advising your patients of the necessity for emergency preparedness will require a small sacrifice of time. The payoff, however, will be life-changing, if not life-saving, for your patients.

The County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services can provide your office with family disaster plans. However, simply offering or providing literature cannot replace the value of a face-to-face conversation with your patients. Please discuss these Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommendations — which can be found at www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/specialplans.shtm — with your special-needs patients:

• Learn what to do in case of power outages and personal injuries. Know how to connect and start a back-up power supply for essential medical equipment.
• Consider getting a medical alert system that will allow you to call for help if you are immobilized in an emergency. Most alert systems require a working phone line, so have a back-up plan, such as a cell phone, for times when regular landlines are disrupted.
• Have a manual wheelchair for backup or a generator, if you use an electric wheelchair or scooter, in order to recharge your wheelchair or scooter.
• Teach those who may need to assist you in an emergency how to operate necessary equipment. Also, label equipment and attach laminated instructions for equipment use.
• Store back-up equipment (mobility, medical, etc.) at your neighbor’s home, school, or workplace.
• Arrange for more than one person from your personal support network to check on you during an emergency. There should be at least one backup to your primary emergency contact.
• Plan ahead for someone to convey essential emergency information to you if you are unable to use the television or radio because you are vision-impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing.
• Check to see if your personal care attendant from an agency has special provisions for emergencies (e.g., providing services at another location should an evacuation be ordered).
• Ask management of your apartment complex to identify and mark accessible exits and access to all areas designated for emergency shelter or safe rooms. Ask about plans for alerting and evacuating those with disabilities. Do the same if you are a homeowner.
• Have a cell phone with an extra battery. If you are unable to get out of a building, you can let someone know where you are and guide them to you. Store the numbers you may need to call if the 9-1-1 emergency system is overloaded. A whistle can be used to alert emergency responders to your location. You can call 2-1-1 for general disaster information and to access resources.
• Learn about devices and other technology available (e.g., PDAs, text radio, pagers) to assist you in receiving emergency instructions and warnings from local officials.
• Be prepared to provide clear, specific, and concise instructions to rescue personnel. Practice giving these instructions (i.e., verbally, pre-printed phrases, word board).
• Prepare your personal support network to assist you with reactions and emotions associated with disaster and traumatic events (i.e., confusion, thought processing and memory difficulties, agitation, fear, panic, and anxiety).
• Encourage others to be prepared and consider volunteering or working with local authorities on disability and other special-needs preparedness efforts.

During a large-scale emergency, nearly every first responder organization will be operating at or beyond full capacity. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the consequences of a community unprepared and ill-equipped to respond to a massive disaster. Therefore, it is imperative that each of us take action to ensure the safety of those most vulnerable during a time when our help will be needed most. For more information on personal preparedness, please visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/oes.