Experiences and Needs of Older Adults Following Hurricane Ike: A Pilot Study of Long-Term Consequences

Critical healthcare for older adults post Hurricane Ian in Florida, United States

We highlight critical public healthcare inadequacies for older adult populations resulting in fatalities after Hurricane Ian. We summarize whether a fatality was a result of the storm directly, indirectly, or not at all. Massive destruction from Ian eliminated critical life-sustaining health care for the week following the hurricane. This disproportionately affected the older adult population, with most elder deaths attributed to a lack of some form of health care. To prevent further unnecessary deaths following a disaster event, we recommend that public health policy practitioners, medical practitioners, and state officials consider how to provide managed opt-in emergency care services, mobile elderly care until restoration of power and services, and revisions to community-based critical care provider building codes to include generators and fuel. We offer this viewpoint to generate discussion among public health and emergency planners.

Uneven Growth in Social Capital Organizations After Disasters by Pre-Disaster Conditions in the United States 2000-2014

INTRODUCTION

Community-level social capital organizations are critical pre-existing resources that can be leveraged in a disaster.

AIM

The study aimed to test the hypothesis that communities with larger pre-disaster stocks of social capital organizations would maintain pre-disaster levels or experience growth.

METHODOLOGY

An annual panel dataset of counties in the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2014 totaling 46620 county-years, including longitudinal data on disasters and social capital institutions was used to evaluate the effect of disaster on growth of social capital.

RESULTS

When a county experienced more months of disasters, social capital organizations increased a year later. These findings varied based on the baseline level of social capital organizations. For counties experiencing minor disaster impacts, growth in social capital organizations tends to occur in counties with more social capital organizations in 2000; this effect is a countervailing finding to that of major disasters, and effect sizes are larger.

CONCLUSION

Given the growing frequency of smaller-scale disasters and the considerable number of communities that experienced these disasters, the findings suggest that small scale events create the most common and potentially broadest impact opportunity for intervention to lessen disparities in organizational growth.

Caregiving in U.S. Gulf States During Natural Disasters and COVID-19

Objectives:

To ascertain common experiences and needs of a diverse group of caregivers challenged by hurricanes/floods and COVID-19.

Methods:

In-depth interviews with unpaid caregivers in U.S. Southeast/Gulf Coast states who had experienced caregiving during a natural disaster and during COVID-19.

Results:

Caregivers report challenges including daily living disruption, altered social supports, complicated health management, additional disaster planning, and emotional/financial impacts. Caregivers suggested helpful resources, policy options, and preparatory tools at individual, local, and health system levels to mediate discontinuity.

Conclusions:

Our data describe combined caregiver experiences of hurricanes/floods and the pandemic. Caregivers experience unique burdens related to care recipient diagnosis, location, and veteran status. Access to community supports varies as they manage the tasks required for care recipients’ health and safety. Our findings indicate the need for public health reinforcement of caregiving though caregiver pre-planning and targeted support. Bolstering understanding of communities’ caregiving capacity though first responder trainings and caregiver registries may enhance health and safety.