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Special Needs of the Elderly During Disasters – Suggested Strategies and Lessons Learned from the 2007 Tulsa, Oklahoma Ice Storm. On the evening of December 7, 2007 an ice storm occurred in the south central United States causing severe power outages in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Oklahoma alone, 900,000 people were without power for periods of up to 3 weeks. Approximately 13.2% of the population in Oklahoma aged 65 + live in institutional care (2000 US Census Report). There are 498 nursing home facilities in Oklahoma serving this majority of this population (a small percentage live in other types of care facilities). Of these facilities 143 lost electrical power for up to six days, 88 lost power but had generators available within 24 hours or less, and 55 had no alternative source of power. Of the 55 without power, 42 relocated residents. Critical infrastructure failures during natural disasters can create a cascade of direct and indirect losses due to a number of physical, social and economic interdependencies that exist (Rinaldi, Peerenboom & Kelly 2001). The elderly present some unique characteristics that make them more vulnerable during natural disasters. Chronic health problems, physical mobility and cognitive limitations make them unable to adequately prepare for disasters (Aldrich & Benson 2008) making them entirely dependent on the facilities. In the three years since the storm the Oklahoma Disaster Institute has focused its efforts on developing and implementing mitigation strategies to address power loss in nursing homes. These strategies included discussions with the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services Authority and local hospital officials. As a result of these discussions, table-top exercises were conducted in multiple venues, and speakers from the Department of Health, EMSA, and emergency management were arranged in an Extended Care Facility Workshop. This paper will look at lessons learned, mitigation strategies and successes in protecting the elderly in nursing homes during natural disasters.
