Public Health Spotlight: Preparing for Emergencies

Every year, disasters shatter the lives of millions of people. In many instances, homes are lost, due to fire, flooding, tornados or other events. Or in the worst-case scenario, lives have been lost. In Jefferson County, there could be natural events such as wildfires or flooding, or manmade events such as a cyber-attack or an active shooter. There could even be facility or technology failures such as a power outage or a water or sewer failure. Annually, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declares September as National Preparedness Month. This year, FEMA is focusing on “Preparing Older Adults”. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) wants to remind community members about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies. Though this is important for everyone, it is especially important for our older adults.

By 2030, one in five people in the U.S. will be aged 65 or older. This means that in just a few years one-fifth of the U.S. population will be at greater risk for chronic disease conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. This comes at a time when it seems that the frequency and severity of weather-related disasters has grown and threatens the safety of our older adults. During a disaster, impaired mobility, cognitive deficits, chronic diseases, social isolation and limited financial resources increase the risk of harm for older adults. Many live alone or in rural areas. In addition, many of the emergency notifications are broadcast through social media and for a lot of older adults that rely on the newspaper, television or radio, the emergency notification may not be heard.

Jefferson County’s Emergency Preparedness Team wants to help you and your family prepare for an emergency. There are simple steps you can take to be prepared:

Know the hazard risks in your area and learn how to respond to those hazards.
Develop a plan. Consider everyone in your family. Is there someone that has difficulty with mobility, hearing, vision, cognition. How can you help these family members in an emergency? Discuss your plan with family, friends and other people that could be involved.
If mobility is an issue, make sure you know who you can contact to get out of your home safely if an evacuation is necessary.
Have several different types of communication methods that can be used in an emergency, such as phone, text or email. It is also a good idea to have a contact out of the hazard area.
Have a meeting place where everyone in the family can go outside of the home.
Set up a buddy system in your neighborhood. This means that one other person close by will physically check on you. If you live in an apartment, condo or over 50 community, make sure you know the evacuation plan. Find out who is the contact person in an emergency.
If you can drive, make sure that your car always has at least a half a tank of gas. It is helpful to keep several basic items in your car including a blanket, jackets, water, a flashlight and nonperishable food.
Develop a kit for yourself that could be used in either an evacuation or for stay-at-home orders. It might be helpful to develop two backpacks, so they are easy to carry. In one backpack there could be a couple changes of clothes, extra medication, important documentation, a flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries or chargers for hearing aids, phones, etc. In the other backpack, you could store water, nonperishable food, maybe a deck of cards, a book, toiletries and any other items you might need. Find information on building a disaster kit.
Have an evacuation plan for your pets and put together a kit for your animals. This kit would include bowls, food, water, any medications, collar and leash, and if you have it, a portable carrier. It is also a good idea to have a list of your pet’s vaccinations.

It is important to look out for our family, friends and neighbors. At JCPH, we want you to be safe during an emergency or disaster. To learn more about emergency preparedness efforts at JCPH, please visit our website. The following websites are also excellent resources in helping you and your family develop a plan:

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.