Disaster Planning: Hurricanes
Disaster Planning: Hurricanes
Grace Guobadia
Walden University
September 30, 2018
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Disaster Planning: Hurricanes
The Disaster
Living in Houston, TX, one of the most common disasters we are faced with is Hurricanes. As we are located close to the Gulf of Mexico, we have suffered through the ramifications that come with Hurricanes. The most significant consequence we have to tackle is damage caused by extreme winds and flooding. One year ago, we were victims of Hurricane Harvey, a storm that practically shut down the city of Houston for several weeks. We are still in the recovery period, but there were several lessons learned after dealing with such an unfortunate situation.
The Nursing Response
Community nurses serve as leaders in disaster preparedness and responses (Veenema, 2017). To be an efficient leader, nurses must create and implement specific community plans that will prepare the citizens to face a disaster. Preparing for a Hurricane requires many difficult tasks, but they all serve to keep the community safe from harm. While my community has fallen victim to several hurricanes, we were not prepared for the damaged caused by Hurricane Harvey. The lessons learned from that natural disaster has reiterated the need for a disaster plan.
The most important decision to make before creating a hurricane disaster plan is to decide whether your family will leave or stay. As a community nurse, my community will be better served if I’m able to stay and assist. My disaster plan will be built around preparing to stay and wait out any potential hurricanes. I would first monitor the weather forecasts for the week leading up to the hurricane to try and get an account of what areas are expected to get affected the most. For the areas projected to get the most wind and rain, I plan to educate my community regarding the resources available to them. The city of Houston has an Office of Emergency Management (OEM) that provides critical information on how to prepare for a disaster. Community members can easily locate the website for this office using a google search. The OEM helps persons prepare based on whether they will stay when the disaster hits or whether they will leave. Additionally, the website provides information regarding how to maintain contact with loved ones, how to contact the emergency line to get weather and emergency response updates, and how to create an emergency supply kit.
All disaster plans must be practiced so all details are accounted for. Nurses are responsible to participate in disaster planning throughout their careers, so they are always prepared (Veenema, 2017). As I work in a major hospital, we have emergency procedures that are implemented during a hurricane. Firstly, we have a flood gate that locks to prevent water from entering patient floors. All nurses that can remain on staff, will do so for several shifts. Any available spaces are transformed into temporary staffing quarters for them to sleep in between extended shifts. In the instance that flood waters have a chance to make it into the hospital, we practice evacuation plans. It’s not always necessary for the entire hospital to be evacuated, but we prepare for how we plan to rearrange patient rooms and what hospitals serve as our backup if patient’s need to be transported. Besides verifying that patient safety will be met, all other disaster tasks revolve around taking inventory of supplies and ensuring there is enough on stock to cover an influx of patients.
Preparing the community for the disaster is a little less formal. I would personally host a community meeting in my area. As previously noted, the local elementary school is where many people congregate, so I could teach disaster preparedness during an evening meeting. I would provide the emergency contact numbers to all services as 911 will likely be jammed with calls. I will also give websites and radio stations that can be listened to for emergency updates. I will encourage all families to create their own personal disaster plan, especially if they plan to stay. Windows will need to be boarded up and homes close to bayous will need to have sandbags placed around them or other preparations to help keep water out. These families may also need to temporarily relocate if their home is at greatest risk of flooding. I will stress the need for families to prepare non-perishable goods in case they are stranded, and emergency personnel can’t reach them. Along with non-perishable items, families will need to include first-aid supplies and their medications in their emergency supply kit. Lastly, I will offer my personal assistance for any family that wants additional help preparing for the hurricane.
Community Preparedness
My community is well prepared for a hurricane as we just endured a devastating one a year ago. We have sufficient emergency services in place and we have additional resources to assist those that need it. During Hurricane Harvey, schools and churches were transformed into emergency shelters for those needing to evacuate their homes. The people who did not suffer significant losses during the storm served as volunteers to help those families who did have great losses. My hospital did not receive an enormous influx of patients, but some of my coworkers remained on shift for several consecutive days without major incident. Overall, Houston knows how to prepare for a hurricane and how to recover from one. As a community leader in disaster responses, I need to educate my community and ensure they all have the resources they need depending on what their personal disaster is. Of course, there are areas that need improvement, but those are out of reach for the community nurse. Our city needs to restructure and improve our storm drainage system to reduce flooding, but I can work with local families on how to avoid being victim to a flood.
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