Speeches
2004
Assistant
Secretary Carbonell Remarks from the National Hurricane Conference -
April 7, 2004
I am very pleased to be able to speak to such a large and important
group of representatives at this National Hurricane Conference.
As Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Administration on
Aging, I am honored to be here to strengthen the working partnerships
with FEMA.
As you may know, in my former position as President and CEO
of the Little Havana Activities and Nutrition Center in Dade
County area, I was there on the front line when Hurricane Andrew
devastated our area. This organization provides daily assistance
to 55,000 frail elders in the greater Miami area so you can
imagine what a major catastrophe the hurricane created.
We learned many lessons from that experience, especially that
you can never be over-prepared in coping with widespread emergencies
and disaster events.
Disasters tend to have a greater impact on the elderly and
persons with disabilities. For example, in Maryland following
Hurricane Isabel, the population over 60 years of age constitutes
less than 12 percent of the population, but accounted for 40
percent of the applications to FEMA for assistance.
When disaster strikes, all sorts of complexities disrupt what
may already be a fragile balancing act of keeping life together
each day. Older persons lives are rich with experience in meeting
the vicissitudes of life; but when a catastrophic event disrupts
this fragile existence, the normal activities of getting groceries
and medical care and arranging caregiver schedules may become
very difficult. A disaster may limit independence and diminish
quality of life very quickly.
As emergency planners, you need to be aware of some important
issues:
- About 54 million people in the United States have some kind
of disability
- Nearly four million people require
assistance from another person to handle the daily
activities of eating, dressing
and bathing.
- More than eight million people have limited
vision.
- 28 million have hearing loss
- 1.5 million are wheelchair
users with an additional four million who need a cane, walker
or other mobility device.
As emergency response plans are prepared and implemented, thought
must be given to:
- Can people hear and understand warnings?
- How quickly can
they evacuate their home?
- Do they need special transportation?
- Do they have special
medical needs – do they have
a heart condition, high blood pressure or diabetes?
- Do
they have medications, such as insulin, or assistive devices
such hearing aids and glasses?
- Are they on special
diets that regulate their health problems?
- Are they worried
about their pet(s)?
- Can the person with special needs cope with
the stairs in high-rise buildings, can they carry water, ice
and groceries?
- Can they cope with the physical environment of
a shelter, are the bathrooms accessible?
- Can older people cope
with a traditional cot? – They
may not be able to get up or down or are unable to
lie flat on the cot.
For emergency response teams who are hard pressed to meet
multiple demands simultaneously and immediately, the extra
time and
support for helping people with special needs are in short
supply. Power companies usually have information about special needs
people on life sustaining equipment and the aging network has
information about many homebound individuals – but there
are many we don’t know about. It is important that we work
together to have voluntary registry to include at least basic
information about those who may be in jeopardy without assistance.
To cite a good example of creative problem solving -- In the
1997 North Dakota floods and fire, one man in a wheelchair
was flooded out of his accessible home, and was offered temporary
shelter in accessible housing. It was 250 miles away and removed
him from his support network. However, volunteer organizations
were able to arrange for an accelerated cleanup and repair,
and the man was able to return to his home with a minimum of
trauma and disruption to his health and safety.
So why is the Aging Network so important to those of you who
are emergency managers?
Our nationwide system of aging services is a rich source of
assistance to emergency response teams during these trying
times. Collaboration and cooperation with the Aging Network
offers terrific advantages to those of you developing state
and local plans. Involving the Aging Network in the planning
process helps assure the best possible outcomes in a bad situation
and can immensely improve the response and recovery periods.
To give you a snapshot of our Network nationwide, we have:
- A State Agency on Aging in every state;
- 655 Area Agencies
on Aging;
- Over 29,000 service providers; and
- 243 Tribal Organizations
There is an Information and Referral and Assistance program
in every community – 2,000 such systems nationwide that
handle over 13 million information and assistance requests
each year. The I & R program includes an extensive client
tracking system containing valuable data on every client. It
also furnishes local providers with a complete listing of services
and resources in each community – an invaluable tool
for local emergency managers. One more reason the aging
network and emergency management network must work together
before,
during and after any event. To give you an example, last year in the during the power failure
in several States, the Area Agency and service provider network
in the Detroit area was able to support the efforts of emergency
workers by sharing the database information on the homebound.
Emergency workers and aging personnel were immediately able make
contact with the homebound to see if they were all right and
to provide the in-home services they needed.
Our national Aging Network includes over 29,000 providers serves
7.5 million seniors annually and nearly 3 million of this group
are participating in the congregate and home delivered meal program.
Our Area Agencies and service providers have extensive databases
about the senior population and their caregivers – where
they live and what they need.
Our long-term care ombudsman program serves residents of nursing
homes, board and care, and assisted living facilities. The ombudsmen,
many of whom are local volunteers, can be quickly mobilized to
assist with relocation of residents and communicate with families
of those residents.
We provide in-home services to homebound elderly – important
to emergency workers because we know where these people live
and what kind of care they need.
We have thousands of senior centers across the country that
operate a broad range of services that can quickly become a
focal point for community services and information. Our nutrition
programs can quickly convert into emergency food delivery programs.
Our transportation services for older persons, already serving
those with special needs, could be critically important for
transporting seniors and others with health and mobility issues.
They have vans –wheelchair accessible vehicles and a
cadre of volunteer drivers.
We also have access to a large group of volunteers who can
and would be willing to help with various assignments in an
emergency. Earlier in this conference, many of you heard John
Stokesberry talk about the fine EAGLES program that he and
Mike Weston developed here in Florida. Later in this conference,
you have an opportunity to hear about Mike Weston’s experiences
as the AoA representative in Maryland Field Office during the
recovery from Hurricane Isabel
Given this very brief overview of what our Aging Network does
and has to offer, it is clear why it so important for Emergency
Response Teams to work very closely with our aging service systems
through all the phases of a disaster event –awareness,
prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Incorporating
our service provider network in your emergency plans aids the
reimbursement for services rendered in the disaster.
Our Network knows the needs of the aging population, has functioning
service delivery systems, is staffed by trained and trusted
personnel and has a communication capability that can greatly
enhance and extend the work of emergency workers.
What is AoA doing to prepare the Aging Network doing to improve
disaster preparedness and response by the Aging Network?
For the past several months, AoA has been working with knowledgeable
experts from FEMA, the Red Cross, representatives from the
Aging Network and two expert consultants from here in Florida
to prepare a new set of technical assistance materials for
our Aging Network. These materials encourage our Aging Network
to become proactive partners in emergency response systems.
Included in the comprehensive guidance package, which are based
on an “all-hazards” approach, are materials from
FEMA, the Red Cross and the National Organization on Disability.
The technical assistance Items include:
- An overview of Emergency Management Systems;
- Adaptable tools for helping aging service providers
improve emergency preparedness and response, including information
about preventing exploitation during and after a disaster
event;
- Communication strategies and materials can be converted
to local activities for telephone trees, record keeping,
home and office emergency kits and checklists;
- A statement of understanding with the American Red
Cross adaptable for local partnerships; and
- An overview of the Aging Network to inform emergency
teams about the aging services system.
This material will be available on the AoA website for all
to use and can be copied and adapted for use at the State
and
local level. We have and will continue provide training and technical assistance
to States and Tribes about the use of the materials.
Some concluding thoughts to keep mind:
- The Aging Network is a substantial resource to help you in
the planning and recovery of any emergency event and our
Network wants and needs to work with you.
- We have valuable information and databases about
local environments.
- If you help us maintain and restore our service
provider network, we can be powerful allies in the restoration
of day-to-day
living in the community.
- While many elderly do have special needs, such as
vision, hearing and mobility problems, many can care for
themselves and
be of great use in caring for others.
- We all know that a disaster can strike at any time
and any place and that the highest priority is the safety
and preservation of human life.
Disclaimer:
This text is the basis of the oral remarks of the Assistant Secretary
for Aging. It should be used with the understanding that some
material may be added or omitted.
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