Disasters and Vulnerable Populations by Baker Lisa;Cormier Loretta;Baker Lisa;

Author:Baker, Lisa;Cormier, Loretta;Baker, Lisa;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated
Published: 2015-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Older Adults and Disasters

CASE STUDY: Hurricane Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Cheryl Pettypool was living in a nursing home in Kenner, Louisiana. “They didn’t evacuate us until 4 days after the hurricane,” said Pettypool. “The staff left. We had nobody to watch us except the [nursing home’s] four maintenance men.”

Pettypool, who relies on a wheelchair to get around, said she was one of 60 residents left behind. For 3 days, the residents remained in the hallway, Pettypool noted. No one received showers and, after a couple of days, their only source of nourishment came from bottled water. “There was no electricity and no water. Wednesday, we ran out of food,” she said.

The residents were finally rescued on Friday and sent by ambulance to the airport. They were then taken by Army helicopter to a makeshift trauma center located on the basketball court at Louisiana State University. Pettypool was ultimately transferred to another nursing home about 3 hours away. “My family and my friends couldn’t find me,” Pettypool recalls. To make matters worse, the nursing home was subsequently hit by Hurricane Rita, and residents had to evacuate for 3 weeks before they could return (National Organization on Disability, 2009).

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