Seniors Learn About Emergency Preparedness

By Nancy K. Crevier

On a textbook spring day, with the sun shining and a light breeze wafting the newly budded branches, it is hard to foresee the natural and manmade disasters that could turn Newtown in an instant from an idyllic reverie to a life-threatening nightmare. Retired Captain Maureen Will, a 30-year veteran of the Brookfield Police force and Sandy Hook resident, provided a packed room of senior citizens at the Newtown Senior Center Wednesday afternoon, May 14, with information to help them survive such an emergency proactively.

In presenting the Emergency Preparedness Program, under the auspices of the Newtown Health Department, Capt Will said that she was more than happy to be giving back to her hometown, after many years of providing this information to Brookfield residents. Emergency kits, resources, awareness, and planning were all topics covered in the hourlong presentation.

“If you had to stay in your house for three days, are you set?” she asked the attentive group. “Most preparedness is common sense: know your town, know the evacuation route, have a plan,” she urged.

Senior citizens may actually be better at preparing to stay put for three days or more than are the younger generation, said Capt Will. They are more likely to remember a time when it was not possible to just get up and go out for a forgotten item at the store. “You were more self-sufficient then,” she said. “Your parents may have had root cellars, done canning, maybe kept chickens. Nowadays, we’re an instant gratification society. Are we able to survive for three plus days on what we have on hand?”

If a disaster such as a tornado, a biological or chemical emergency, or a nuclear emergency required officials to advise residents to shelter at home or to evacuate, being well-prepared can mean the difference between relative comfort and complete chaos, said Capt Will.

“Educate yourself — know your surroundings; have a place to go; learn your disaster plan,” was Capt Will’s first bit of advice. Next, create an emergency plan. For the elderly, this should include a way for family members to get in touch or make contact during the emergency, and if an evacuation is necessary, nondrivers must plan to have the assistance of someone who does drive. Put together an emergency plan kit filled with necessities to get you through at least three days away from your home, advised Capt Will.

Like a magician pulling rabbits from a hat, Capt Will then proceeded to purge her own emergency kit, a 60-quart Rubbermaid container she had carried with her to the program. Toilet paper, solid air fresheners, paper towels, a neoprene water bottle, soap towelettes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, travel sized toiletries, a tube of Ben-Gay and a bottle of Alleve, and antibiotic cream were pulled from the container. Glow sticks can provide hours of light and are easy to use, she said. The kit also spilled forth a small fire extinguisher — “You never know what will happen when you are moved to an evacuation center,” Capt Will warned — an adjustable wrench, a whistle, a fleece blanket, an emergency thermal blanket, batteries, headphones, a notebook, pens and pencils, a first aid kit, tweezer and nail clippers, a dust mask, a screwdriver, and a handheld can opener. Trash bags, tissues, hand sanitizer, latex gloves, a crank-style flashlight and transistor radio, playing cards, and a puzzle book piled up on the table next to Capt Will as she continued to remove one item after another from the deep container.

“If you have a pet, you are going to want to take care of it, too, in an emergency,” she said, showing off three small cans of cat food. In Newtown, the pound will accept animals that cannot be evacuated with the owner during an emergency, but proof of vaccination will be required. “Pack some of your pet’s food, any medications it might need, and copies of the vaccinations with your emergency kit so that you have everything when you need it,” she suggested.

The other necessities an emergency kit should have are freeze-dried meals such as those sold at camping stores, coffee, and just as importantly, extra cash. “I pack cash in my emergency kit, too. In an emergency, it is very likely that ATMs will not be working, or you may not be able to get to your bank.”

As people age, they have special needs that need to be addressed in an emergency. “If you have a walker, a wheel chair, or perhaps a portable oxygen tank, it should be marked with your name and emergency contact information. Teach others how to use your equipment and how to care for you,” Capt Will said. “An emergency is no time to be teaching someone how to fold up your wheelchair or hook up your oxygen tank. If you have medical alert tags, please wear them. Make sure you contact your druggist and find out about getting a supply of any medications you need to put into the emergency kit. It’s all the little things that make a difference in an emergency.”

Newtown health director Donna Culbert joined Capt Will for the last part of the program to distribute handouts that included a supply kit checklist, a first aid kit checklist, a family information sheet, a Connecticut Emergency Preparedness guide, and an emergency phone list. Also distributed to each person present, complements of the Drug Center, were waterproof pill containers and information on receiving medication for an emergency.

Ms Culbert reiterated what Capt Will had conveyed: have emergency contact information readily available in an emergency, and “Please, during an emergency, be patient and wait for information.”

“We are not trying to scare you. We want you to be safe and we want you to be proactive, so that when an emergency occurs, you are ready,” said Capt Will. “But don’t wait to make your plans,” she urged. “You don’t know what the next hour, the next day could bring.”

For complete Newtown Emergency Preparedness information, visit the town website at newtown-ct.gov, select Town Departments, then Health District, and select Emergency Preparedness.