Division of Emergency Management

Older Adults - Senior Populations

Seniors are the wisdom of our communities. Their life long experiences are often a treasure for preparedness ideas and considerations. Talk with the seniors in your life and ask them if they have ever experienced any disasters and what they did. Seniors may have specific disaster preparedness skill sets they used throughout their life that may be useful to pass on to you. Ask grandparents how they preserved their food from the garden, or even how to grow a garden. Ask them how they cooked their food without a microwave, or how to comfort a child when things are stressful. Lean upon the knowledge of the ages for some practical advice.

Make a Plan, Get a Kit and Be Informed

Making a plan, getting a kit and being informed is much the same for seniors as it is for younger families. However there are a few specifics to consider including medications, medical equipment and mobility.

Build a Support Network

Establishing solid relationships with other people is one of the most effective means of surviving a disaster. Create a network of trusted individuals such as family, friends, co-workers, personal attendants, and others who can assist you during an emergency. Familiarize your network with your functional abilities and limitations, and include them in your emergency planning process.

Help Your Seniors

Increasingly, frail older adults with complex health issues live alone in the community, far from their relatives and caregivers. An older adult may depend upon community service providers for basic necessities and social support prior to a disastrous event. However, the need for these critical services increases when services are disrupted, or the senior is impacted during a major disaster. Connect with seniors near you and see how you can help them before, during, and after disasters.

Medications and Medical Supplies

If you take medicine or use a medical treatment on a daily basis, be sure you have what you need on hand to make it on your own for at least a week. You should also keep a copy of your prescriptions as well as dosage or treatment information. If it is not possible to have a week-long supply of medicines and supplies, keep as much as possible on hand and talk to your pharmacist or doctor about what else you should do to prepare.

If you undergo routine treatments administered by a clinic or hospital or if you receive regular services such as home health care, treatment or transportation, talk to your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up service providers within your area and the areas you might evacuate to. If you use medical equipment in your home that requires electricity to operate, talk to your health care provider about what you can do to prepare for its use during a power outage.

In addition, there may be other things specific to your personal needs that you should also have on hand. If you use eyeglasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries, wheelchair batteries, and oxygen, be sure you always have extras in your home. Also have copies of your medical insurance, Medicare and Medicaid cards readily available.

Mobility and Transportation

Consider how you plan to transport yourself and your emergency supplies. It may be important to pre-stage your disaster supplies at the location you intend to go to in the event of a disaster. If you have special mobility or transportation considerations, make sure your support network knows in advance, and prepare a way to accommodate those needs.

Beware of Fraud and Cyber Threats in Times of Disaster

During and after disasters, seniors often become a victim to fraud and cyber crime. There are some people that seek to capitalize on the idea that during disasters you may not catch onto their selfish designs. Have a heightened awareness of how you use your bank account and the things you click on the internet. In the wave of information after a disaster, thieves will try to trick you into giving them your money or your identity. Online links may be riddled with cyber threats that will download viruses to your computer or steal information from your computer.

Access and Functional Needs (AFN)

Disability intersects every demographic group—there are people with disabilities of all ages, races, genders or national origin. And, disabilities can impact a person in a variety of ways—both visible and invisible.
Access and Functional Needs includes anyone with physical disability, hearing impairment, sight impairment, language barriers, cultural barriers, economic disparity, the very elderly, the very young, mental or cognitive disabilities, etc. People who are temporarily recovering from surgery or sickness that makes them unable to do what they could normally do makes them someone with an access or functional need.
For people with disabilities and their families, it is important to consider individual circumstances and needs to effectively prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Make a Plan, Get a Kit and Be Informed

Making a plan, getting a kit and being informed is important for all populations. However there are a few specifics to consider including medications, medical equipment and mobility.

Build a Support Network

Establishing solid relationships with other people is one of the most effective means of surviving a disaster. Create a network of trusted individuals such as family, friends, co-workers, personal attendants, and others who can assist you during an emergency. Familiarize your network with your functional abilities and limitations, and include them in your emergency planning process.

Service Providers

If you have service providers that help you with your specific needs, talk with them about their plans for disasters. When disaster strikes, you may end up without the services you are used to. If so what are some alternatives?

Local Emergency Managers are Preparing and Planning for Individuals with Special Needs:

If you or someone close to you has a disability or a special need, you may have to take additional steps to protect yourself and your family in an emergency. The State of Utah offers individuals and organizations the opportunity to sign up for a voluntary Special Needs Registry to help emergency managers plan according to specific needs of their communities.

Medications and Medical Supplies

If you take medicine or use a medical treatment on a daily basis, be sure you have what you need on hand to make it on your own for at least a week. You should also keep a copy of your prescriptions as well as dosage or treatment information. If it is not possible to have a week-long supply of medicines and supplies, keep as much as possible on hand and talk to your pharmacist or doctor about what else you should do to prepare.

If you undergo routine treatments administered by a clinic or hospital or if you receive regular services such as home health care, treatment or transportation, talk to your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up service providers within your area and the areas you might evacuate to. If you use medical equipment in your home that requires electricity to operate, talk to your health care provider about what you can do to prepare for its use during a power outage.

In addition, there may be other things specific to your personal needs that you should also have on hand. If you use eyeglasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries, wheelchair batteries, and oxygen, be sure you always have extras in your home. Also have copies of your medical insurance, Medicare and Medicaid cards readily available.

Mobility and Transportation

Consider how you plan to transport yourself and your emergency supplies. It may be important to pre-stage your disaster supplies at the location you intend to go to in the event of a disaster. If you have special mobility or transportation considerations, make sure your support network knows in advance, and prepare a way to accommodate those needs.

Pets & Livestock

Its your responsibility to care of the needs of your pets and livestock during and after disasters. Know how to respond to animal needs, and how to protect yourself from threatening animals and insects before, during and after disasters.

Make a Plan

If you have a plan in place for you and your pets, you will likely encounter less difficulty, stress and worry when you need to make a decision during an emergency.

Things to include in your plan:

• Know what to do with your pet during an evacuation . Many public shelters and hotels do not allow
  pets inside. Know a safe place where you can take your pets before disasters and emergencies happen.
• Develop a buddy system. Plan with neighbors, friends or relatives to make sure that someone is
  available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.
• Have copies of your pet’s vaccination record, and make sure your pet is microchipped. Keep your address and phone number up-to-date and include an emergency contact outside of your immediate area.
• Keep contact information for your local emergency management office or animal control office and shelters on hand in case you become separated from your pet.

Additional considerations:

• Identify pet-friendly places to stay within a 50-mile radius. Keep your pet with you if at all possible during a disaster.
• Production and companion livestock should not be turned loose or locked in a barn during an emergency. A large fenced area is the best way to protect your animals in a disaster involving extreme weather events.
• Always have a weeks supply of food on hand and under cover.
• Have an emergency source of water if services are disrupted.
• Have transportation to evacuate. Remember that borrowing from a neighbor may not be feasible.
• Have current health/vaccination records, proof of ownership and brand or microchip identification.
• Identify nearby and distant evacuation sites – boarding facilities, fairgrounds, arenas etc.
• Keep a first aid kit in your truck or trailer.
• Maintain a contact list of normal and alternate suppliers.
• Know your brand inspectors and extension agents.
• Membership in a growers or producers organization that can provide assistance in an emergency will reduce losses.
• Know how to reach your insurance agent in the event of losses.
• When possible, move stock out of flood or fire zones in advance, provide extra feed in severe weather events.

Get a Kit

Pets Need a 72-hour Kit As Well

• Food and Water. Keep several days’ supply of both. Keep food in an airtight, waterproof container, and
  have a water bowl to use.
• Medicine. Keep an extra supply of the medicine your pet takes on a regular basis in a waterproof container.
• First aid kit. Include items appropriate for your pet’s emergency medical needs.
• Backup collar with ID tag and a harness or leash. Have copies of your pet’s registration information
  in a waterproof container and available electronically.
• Transportation: Have a traveling bag, crate or sturdy carrier for each pet.
• Grooming items. Pet shampoo and other items, in case your pet needs some cleaning up.
• A picture of you and your pet together. If you become separated from your pet, a picture will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you in identifying your pet.
• Sanitation needs. Include pet litter and litter box, trash bags and other items to provide for your pet’s sanitation needs.
• Familiar items. Put favorite toys, treats or bedding in your kit to reduce stress for your pets.

Be Informed

Stay informed of current conditions and know how you will receive emergency alerts and warnings. Animals and insects can become dangerous during and after disasters. Visit the CDC website on how to protect yourself from animal and insect related hazards after a disaster.

Get Involved

Get involved in your local Community Animal Response Team (CART). CART trains on animal response considerations in a post disaster environment. CART also helps develop local animal response plans. Visit the Utah CART website to find a program near you.

Small Business Owners

Be Ready encourages the private sector to build their Business Continuity Plans and Emergency Response Plans, encourages the provision of local forums where the private sector can receive support towards private sector preparedness, provides tools and resources that enable steps towards a resilient private sector, and recognizes prepared businesses.

As you prepare your business to bounce back after any disaster please consider the following:

1. 40% to 60% of businesses disrupted by a disaster without a continuity plan never reopen.
2. Companies that cannot resume operations within 10 days after a disaster’s first impact are not likely to survive.
3. However companies with an exercised business continuity plan  recover faster than businesses without a plan at all.
4. Companies with a business continuity plan are the least likely to develop communication problems with their stakeholders.
5. Employees are 76-86% more likely to become emergency prepared when encouraged by employers.

Have a disaster preparedness plan on hand and resolve to dust it off, update it, and exercise it. At no cost to you, Be Ready Business can help you update your plan, or help you create a plan as well as support you with putting together an exercise that meets the needs of your organization.

Make a Plan

Get a Kit

In case of an emergency, employees should have the supplies they may need in personalized kits at their work stations. The workplace also may need additional emergency supplies to support employees and to continue operations in a long-term emergency.

Individuals and families

The level of individual and family preparedness will have a direct impact on your business. Encourage employees to keep disaster supply kits at their work stations, and be sure to complete their kits by adding items for their personal needs. Use the Be Ready Family pages to support employees' individual and family preparedness efforts. Check out the Disaster Supply Kit document for a list of ideas to consider.

Workplace personnel supply needs

Consider having enough extra supplies to take care of your workforce for 12 hours or longer. Check out the 12 Areas of Preparedness for ideas.

Here are a few examples:

• Food and water
• Additional over-the-counter medications
• First-aid materials
• A means to stay warm

Also consider keeping supplies on hand to help respond to emergencies.  Having the tools you need and knowing how to use those tools can help save lives when professional responders are unavailable or delayed. Employees trained in basic disaster response skills through the CERT training.

Be Informed

Stay informed of current conditions and know how you will receive emergency alerts and warnings. Animals and insects can become dangerous during and after disasters. Visit the CDC website on how to protect yourself from animal and insect related hazards after a disaster.

Get Involved

Get involved in your local Community Animal Response Team (CART). CART trains on animal response considerations in a post disaster environment. CART also helps develop local animal response plans. Visit the Utah CART website to find a program near you.