Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

86 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
regarding older persons, including observations that pertain to mental
health issues, have been extrapolated from research studies on these
events, as well as from a major study on emergency response capacity conducted
by the Canadian Red Cross. We have chosen to highlight these
studies given their explicit inclusion of older persons as a population of
interest rather than conduct a comprehensive review of all disaster-related
literature on Canadian situations. That said, it should be noted that the
Canadian disaster literature regarding older persons is relatively sparse
overall.
Red River Manitoba Floods
In 1997, the Red River in Manitoba, a province in Canada, flooded, resulting
in the evacuation of 28,000 people and $500 million in damage to
property and infrastructure (Etkin, Haque, & Brooks, 2003). Buckland
and Rahman (1999) conducted a study to examine the relationship between
community preparedness for the disaster and the level and pattern
of community development in three rural communities. Research was conducted
through key informant interviews that included elderly residents,
focus groups with emergency personnel, and a household survey. The communities
differed significantly in their ethnicity and level of community
development, and results indicate the level of community development did
indeed have an impact on the communities’ response to disaster. One community
of First Nations’ peoples was particularly affected. First Nations’
communities are under federal jurisdiction in Canada, whereas the central
disaster planning agency is a provincial responsibility, which complicates
disaster preparation and management. Researchers suggested this community’s
long-standing social isolation and the weak relationship between
the community and different government levels meant there were fewer
resources for managing disaster response and a less robust population,
from a public health perspective, to manage disaster recovery. The two
communities described as having stronger social capital had the resources
to better manage the disaster.
Study participants agreed that the mandatory government evacuation
order, which applied to the young, elderly, and disabled, was necessary;
however, they raised concerns about the process by which the order was
communicated and implemented. Buckland and Rahman (1999) concluded
their study by emphasizing the critical need for close connections
and more respectful and open communication between communities and
government.