Carers

Every minute is critical in an emergency

Every minute is critical in an emergency and your thinking will be foggy due to the ‘flight or fight’ hormones in your blood stream. When you’re responsible for the safety of others your plan will need to be more detailed than most and you’ll need to write it down and have a back up plan.

Include all the people you care for in your planning discussions

Include all the people you care for in your planning discussions. Plan around their capabilities. Give them a role and practice with them. Add a fun activity when you practice your evacuation plan with people who are nervous. Incorporate competitions and rewards for children. Chunk the evacuation routine into short activities that you can practice more often.

Don’t take it all on by yourself

Don’t take it all on by yourself. You can’t care for others if you are exhausted and stressed. Ask for helpers, most people would appreciate being asked.

An emergency may occur when you are not home

An emergency may occur when you are not home or are separated from your person. Think about the best people to stand in for you if you are not around and exactly what they need to do. Have a conversation around whether these individuals are prepared to act as emergency contacts as well.

Share your plan with all service providers

Share your plan with all service providers. Let them know when you leave and when you return. Staff (and emergency services) may check on you if they haven’t reached you. Let your neighbours know too.

Evacuation centres are a place of last resort

Evacuation centres are a place of last resort. They are not equipped for people with additional needs and can trigger new and challenging behaviour. Sleeping will be on the floor or camp bed and electricity supply limited. Noise, overcrowding and heat can be distressing for people with dementia and sensitivities to sensory stimulation. People living with dementia sometimes experience hallucinatory episodes for the first time in evacuation centres.

Food in evacuation centres

Food in evacuation centres (and donated hampers) is very basic and unlikely to cater for special dietary requirements. You won’t be able to prepare your own food. People rapidly tapering off certain medications are at risk of seizure or sudden behaviour changes. Accessible communication is unlikely to be available. There are no trained support workers or medical support services at evacuation centres and no privacy for personal care.

Earphones and noise cancelling headphones

Include earphones or noise cancelling headphones in your kit. Listening to music is a helpful way to keep calm and block out the chaos.

People with additional needs

If you do find yourself in an evacuation centre with a person with additional needs, make yourself known to staff.

Work out a meeting point outside the flood zone

Work out a meeting point outside the flood zone in case you get separated and make sure everyone on the plan knows. Phones can’t be relied upon.

Leave early

Leave early. Plan a trigger to enact your plan early. NSW SES Emergency Warnings are always your guide but you will probably need to leave earlier if you rely on community based support services or need longer to get on the road. You will need more time than you think. Stick to your plan, people will tell you it’s too early but they don’t know your situation. You’ve done the work, trust yourself!

Assume that community based support services will cease

Assume that community based support services will cease. Even if you are not in danger of inundation, your support workers may be unable to visit due to extended road closures between you and your service provider won’t place staff at risk if the roads become dangerous.

Register with emergency respite services

Register now with emergency respite services well outside the flood zone if eligible. Talk to family and friends about staying with them if needed. Keep a current list of accessible short term stays within a wide circumference if you need wheelchair friendly accommodation. Hospitals only accept patients experiencing a medical emergency and aren’t an accommodation option. Ambulances are on standby during declared emergencies and don’t provide non-urgent transfer services.

Have a handover folder ready

Have a handover folder ready with all information about your person’s daily needs and routines, in case you are unable to be accommodated in emergency respite together or are separated.

Consider using social stories

Consider using social stories for preparing people with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent disorders where a change of routine will trigger challenging behaviour.

Vaccinate pets

Vaccinate pets that need to be boarded and keep the documentation in your kit. Boarding kennels won’t accept animals without proof of vaccination, even in an emergency.

Keep ID bracelets

Keep ID bracelets for people living with dementia and severe medical conditions in your kit.

Keep mobility aids and a torch

Keep mobility aids and a torch within reach of people with mobility challenges.

Things to consider in your evacuation plan

Your evacuation plan may need to consider things like organising transport in multiple trips or vehicles, mapping accessible toilet stops, managing transfers without powered devices and planning multiple road routes in response to changing conditions.

Medications

Keep at least 7 days medications in your kit. If medications need to be kept cool, pack them in an esky with ice bricks but not in direct contact. Discard medications that have made contact with floodwater, they will be contaminated. Start using eScripts now so pharmacists can access prescriptions from anywhere as long as you have ID. Keep a copy of Medicare details on your phone and cash in your kit for meds.

Consider generators and powerpacks

Consider generators and powerpacks if the person you care for uses powered medical equipment or requires medications to be refrigerated. Keep all phones and devices charged.

News updates

Don’t listen to news updates in front of children or adults who may become distressed. Use earphones to listen to updates in the car and distract children with music and games. Consider keeping emergency service figures and toys and books in your kit so children and play act the situation during the long wait time.

Have a plan for pets

Have a plan for pets. Your accommodation may not allow them and they aren’t permitted in evacuation centres.

Assistance animals

Pack a Emergency Kit for assistance animals.

Pack important documentation

Pack important documentation including a medicare card, ID and proof of address. Consider cloud based storage for documents and photos.

Make sure a ‘Emergency kit’ is ready

Make sure a ‘Emergency kit’ is ready. Regularly review the contents and update contents when required. Carers NSW website includes and evacuation checklist and Emergency Kit checklist.