Oklahoma Tornadoes Highlight Importance of Disaster Preparedness

Written by Adam Stone for ALFA Update 

For Tim Buchanan, the Oklahoma tornadoes were more than just grisly pictures on CNN. As CEO of Legend Senior Living, he saw Jefferson Gardens in Edmond, Oklahoma, lose power. Asbury Village in Coffeyville, Kansas, took significant hail damage, with many windows broken out.

But these properties fared well overall. A portable generator arrived from Wichita. Food appeared within hours, and existing relationships with the Red Cross ensured drinking water and flush toilets were available. “Having people you can call quickly is really a necessary component of any disaster plan,” Buchanan says.

It also helped that Legend executives had worked out a calling system well in advance. “We had all our home office staff members get on the phone immediately after the tornado, and they were able to call of our family members,” Buchanan says.

As the tornadoes whirl away and hurricane season looms, senior living executives would do well to remember that preparedness is a year-round endeavor. While we can’t stop the rain (or the wind, hail, etc.), there is much that can be done to ensure that residents are safe, and that normal operations resume as quickly as possible.

Preparing Your Staff and Community

Have a plan.

“You have to do a hazard contingency plan. You sit down with your staff and think about what could happen to our community. How far are we from water? What are the natural and manmade threats to our community? How far are we from a chemical plant? Is there a railway near our property? Then you start to put together plans for each of those,” says Jeff Chester, partner and founder of Advanced Catastrophes Technologies in Wichita, Kansas.

Now, update the plan.

Circumstances are ever changing, and so the disaster plan must be a living document. Preparedness must be an ongoing process. The plan should be revised and tested with actual resident and staff participation in drills, along with vendor involvement, at least twice a year. Train and drill staff and residents on evacuation procedures from buildings and buses.

You’ll need all hands in deck in a crisis. Survey employees in advance to determine their availability. If you’ve got advance warning, find out who is going to be available within the coming 72 hours, and how many will be standing by. Cross-train staff on emergency duties such as dementia care, communications, and operation of oxygen tanks and other medical equipment, and protocol.

Document.

Once plans are in place, don’t leave anything to memory. Compile staffing plans with a guide and checklist for each department head listing their relevant duties prior to and during an emergency.

A preparedness plan may hit all the high points, but that doesn’t make it complete in the eyes of the law. State licensing and regulatory bodies may have a range of disaster requirements, from power outages to transportation to detailed evacuation plans. “You should know what licensing and state laws say about emergency preparedness for assisted living,” says Brant Watson, senior vice president and caregiver niche practice leader at Heffernan Insurance Brokers. “Even if you have an emergency preparedness plan, the requirements may have changed recently, so you do need to review that plan with that in mind.”  

Disasters can take out power lines and communications mechanisms. Consider in advance the ways in which your people will be able to keep in touch.

• Satellite phones – The most reliable satellite phones are those that link to multiple satellites and geographic regions, not just one satellite in one geographic area. Check that your satellite phones use multiple satellites in more than one region.
• Cell phones – Ensure your cell phone provider is the most reliable in your geographic area with the most cell phone towers available and/or with multiple radio frequencies.
• Train staff, if needed, on text messaging and instant messaging. Distribute pagers to key personnel.
• Walkie-talkies – Some work up to 25 miles. These are good for potential bus-to-bus communication in the event cell phone coverage is down.

Vendor, family communications.

In addition to keeping in contact with staff, it will be crucial to stay in touch with the vendors will who be responsible for repairs and restocking once the crisis has passed. Establish a plan with them, as well as with family members who will be eager for information.

The Fair Labor Standards Act lays out the rules for employee compensation in a crisis, according to law firm Duane Morris. The FLSA requires employers to pay non-exempt employees only for hours that the employees have actually worked. Therefore, an employer is generally not required to pay non-exempt employees if the employer is unable to provide work to those employees due to a natural disaster. For exempt employees, an employer will be required to pay the employee’s full salary if the worksite is closed or unable to reopen due to inclement weather or other disasters for less than a full workweek. However, an employer may require exempt employees to use allowed leave for this time.

Employees affected by a natural disaster are entitled to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for a serious health condition caused by a disaster. Additionally, employees affected by a natural disaster who must care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition may also be entitled to leave under the FMLA, according to Duane Morris.

Mid-disaster is not a good time to decide whether conditions merit an evacuation. One key step in preparation is to draw out a specific checklist of conditions that would cause an evacuation. This might include physical conditions such as a power outage, winds above a certain speed, or the dictates of state and local laws. Make sure key personnel understand the criteria and have a decision-maker designated to make the final call.

Ensure each resident is provided with a travel bag and checklist of basic items such as clothes, toiletries, medicine and any special item or memento. Familiarize them occasionally with the bag and list, especially during hurricane season and other likely times of crisis.

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