As insurance brokers our job is to help our clients prepare for the \”what if\’s\” and planning for a Disaster it not something people tend to think about on a daily basis. Over the next couple of weeks we will discuss the different types of \”what if\’s\” or better put, Disasters to prepare for.
Today we will discuss about how having a family conversation can make a difference. Although we cannot control natural disasters, we can – to some extent- control how they affect us. By communicating with your family, friends and neighbors and preparing in advance, you can more safely and confidently deal with natural diasters. Planning can lesson your stress and help prevent loss of life and reduce property damage or loss.
Insight from a Claims Adjsuter:
\”I think most people are of the opinion \’It can\’t happend to me\’. Although they may have made some modest preparations, I find that, generally, folks are unprepared to deal with a natural disaster.\”
Diasters and Older Adults: Benefits of Planning –
Disasters are frequently the time when we see the very best in people – strength, bravery, generosity and compassion. People of all ages rise to the occasion. Older adults are ofter resilient in the face of disaster. Their experience and judgment, which increase with age, are important attributes when responding effectively to crises.
When it comes to preparing for – and responding to – disasters, many older persons play important community roles. Their skills and talents are invaluable for such things as:
- Identifying and supporting people in their neighborhoods who need assistance.
- Volunteering for direct disaster relief roles in their communites
- Assisting in shelters.
Because disease-related conditions and the functional limitations they cause may be more prevalent in later life, older adults as a group are particularly vulnerable during emergencies and disasters. Recent history tells the story all too clearly. Nearly three quarters of the people who died in the New Orleans area as a result of Hurricane Katrina were age 60 and over, although only 15 percent of the population of New Orleans fell into that age group. This painful experience underscores the important need for older adults to have a reliable plan for immediate, easy and safe evacuation in the event of a disaster.
For more information visit the following wesbites:
American Red Cross – www.redcross.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – www.cdc.gov
