Home Health Colleagues,
Hurricane Isaac convinced many of you to initiate your preparedness plans this past Friday, some over the weekend, and more of you on this very eventful Monday morning. The map below, updating the path of Isaac as of 10 AM CDT Monday, speaks for itself. Evacuation orders have been issued by many parishes in low lying areas, outside of the levee systems. Governor Jindal’s press conference yesterday recommended voluntary evacuation for other coastal residents. Agencies began notifying those patients and their families to initiate their preparedness plans as early as Friday afternoon.
The front edge of the storm is predicted to make landfall Tuesday AM with the center of the storm predicted to move ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi River around 8 PM on Tuesday. Most of us are aware that past storm models that have shown this track creates another dangerous scenario for New Orleans and coastal parishes. Current storm surge predictions are anticipated to reach up to 12 feet, potentially life threatening in low lying areas.
Hurricane Katrina showed the vulnerability of those over 65 years of age. Provider plans include identification of patients who require assistance with evacuation. Home health agency personnel should have those lists updated and already sent to Parish Offices of Emergency Preparedness. Many providers have placed arm bands on patients, similar to those used in hospitals, with information related to the agency contacts in the event that they must be evacuated. Remember that text messaging was the most dependable form of communication after Katrina. Phones were down, accessing email was difficult, but texting worked well. Also recall that home care providers had a difficult time accessing gasoline after Katrina. Plan accordingly. More information can be found in HCLA’s Emergency Preparedness Handbook online.
Contact us at HCLA if we can be of assistance. As Hurricane Isaac approaches, below are some useful links for you, your family, and associates:
State of Emergency Declaration <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0016AUCY2d93c5_7tmeWwpKcsW84_aoKR9Uapee32igxYnESLiwsoQUbPKnX2pEPJfWXktXOAtNwntrSAEN-qWvxdZqjVgaxl2QqbYmoE-Ls6pAdsxqXgue56A7hXb3Jw_GHI99Pb2X0HkKcvyGpkJ-VTQ6BJI0bNc1CK24wgMOvtroWzGV9titi1SlY7l1bSL5ojpoKngGjBI=>
Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness www.gohsep.la.gov <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0016AUCY2d93c4bpu2zFeZJElq81C13ubiws-mnxdqxUmlEXPR_3Hj7IlKOoJig8Y86xAirV2ADOHNO40P5mO34xRv6hp_mXPrMTr9j7YJN2njYGX7ECBFybg==>
Louisiana Department of Insurance www.ldi.state.la.us <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0016AUCY2d93c78ORMOzFHsL4RY0TspGktxDStClScRn0tSmRZ4PxdDr9KVuM_HAFihN3NfGkRZ5-fkP138neZEMp5tGZWSLnmaqMd9Dwq7Q5RP9bmZhE-deA==>
National Weather Service www.weather.gov
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Warren Hebert, RN, CAE
RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow ’06-’09
Chief Executive Officer
