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.