The hurricane season of 2005 taught long-term care providers some valuable lessons in disaster planning. Mainly, be prepared to evacuate and care for your residents yourself; you can not rely on outside groups.

In a McKnight’s article today, Lambeth House, an AAHSA member located in New Orleans, discusses their lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.

Because of their experiences with Hurricane Katrina, Lambath House changed their emergency preparedness plan. According to Scott Crabtree, executive director, “he has two evacuation sites in Baton Rouge at the ready. He has his own vehicles. And if worse comes to worst, he has an agreement with an ambulance company, and access to a school bus. Beyond his transportation plans, he has no shortage of supplies. These include a generator that is 13 feet above sea level and can run 10 days without refueling. Preparedness also includes food for 30 days.”

You can find their emergency preparedness plan listed prominently on their Web site.

“After Katrina, you don’t know anything for sure,” says Crabtree. It is important to be prepared for almost any scenario imaginable when you are caring for others.

The following tips for lining up transportation in advance of a disaster where given in the article:

- Know your residents. Identify their acuity levels. That will help determine the type of transportation you will need.

- Be a partner with the local emergency preparedness department. Once you establish contracts with transportation providers, run those contracts by the department for review. It should find out if the company will be able to accommodate your needs or is already overly committed.

- Establish a relationship with a local transportation association.

- Keep costs in mind. Decide what you are willing to spend for an evacuation contract with a transportation company. Talk to state transportation association about reasonable amounts.

- Consider talking to local churches or schools about using their means of transportation if necessary.

Disaster planning materials are also available on the AAHSA Quality First Web site. Click here to view them.