Emergency preparedness meeting focuses on seniors

Darrell Dickerson from Aging and Adult Care of Central Washington presented to a large group of seniors about emergency preparedness on Aug. 12.

Dickerson visited the H.E. Gritman Senior Center during the lunch hour to give attendees an idea of ways they could prepare for a potential emergency.

Aging and Adult Care has sent representatives to discuss emergency preparedness in six counties. Dickerson said most people have the mentality that those situations will never happen to them and tend not to prepare for the worst.

Dickerson said he recently had a personal emergency experience when he had to evacuate his home in Wenatchee due to the Sleepy Hollow fire. He had 15 minutes to gather his personal belongings he found valuable, and challenged those in attendance to think of what they would want or need to take.

The first priorities for attendees were medications, clothing and animals. Dickerson agreed with those suggestions, but explained every individual has a different idea of value and also have different needs.

Dickerson stressed the importance for those individuals who require assistance to walk, to store an extra walker or cane near the door. Any item needed to help an individual maintain their health and well-being is crucial to have easily accessible.

Emergency situations differ in that sometimes people may be forced to evacuate, while other situations could mean people are unable to leave their home due to severe weather conditions.

Dickerson recommended all families keep an emergency kit on hand. The kits should contain the products necessary to the health of the family or individual.

He also encouraged seniors to consider keeping a pill splitter, list of medications and a checklist of valuables in the kit to determine the items that should be taken from the home in case of evacuation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends families keep one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation. A three-day food supply or nonperishable foods is also encouraged, with a manual can opener.

Seniors should also consider having multiple flashlights within the home, as well as in the emergency kit. FEMA also recommends having a whistle on hand in order to signal for help.

Dickerson also recommended keeping a spare gas can in the car in case of a power outage when a family has to evacuate and there is not time to stop to fill the vehicle with gas.

If families are stuck within a home, Dickerson said bottled water, battery operated radio and an emergency plan should be kept within the kit. Families with animals are also encouraged to create an emergency kit for pets.

In the case of animals, owners should have an emergency plan in place. Food, water, medicines, medical records, first aid kit, identification tags, sanitation items, and a crate or carrier should also be on hand for animals.

For larger animals, trailers should be prepared to load animals quickly to move them to safety.

Dickerson reminded those in attendance to make sure they check on loved ones in emergency situations. It is crucial for family members and friends to look after one another in emergencies to ensure everyone has assistance to endure the situation.

Dickerson said citizens should have multiple emergency routes out of town. He emphasized citizens need to be safe and need to be prepared.