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Abstract: 

If a major metropolitan area in your jurisdiction had to be quarantined due to an outbreak of the avian flu, would you know what to do first? How prepared is your adult/elder protective program for a natural or man-made disaster, should one strike? Are you equipped to track the well-being of your staff and clients and respond appropriately when danger threatens? Should your office be destroyed, have you identified another location from which to work? If not, what are you and your agency doing to get ready? Watching the media coverage of the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and listening to personal accounts of friends and colleagues in Louisiana and Texas, the author wonders, in this personal account, how APS programs, particularly in the Gulf states, were affected by these disasters and what changes were being made to be better prepared the next time a disaster strikes. Accompanying the article is a boxed feature,”Disaster Management Bill Under Consideration in Florida”

Keywords: disaster planning; shelter care; intra-staff communication; emergency supplies; Abuse Hotline Relocation Plan; funding for emergency

Affiliations:  1: consultant.