The new Disaster Response Voluntary Well-Check Registry launched last week by York County Emergency Management Agency will be an important tool for helping emergency responders check up on the most vulnerable residents after a widespread disaster.
The registry is a simple one-page form that asks people to list their general maladies ”“ from vision impairment to mobility concerns ”“ as well as whether or not they depend on electricity for their medical needs. The registry will give emergency response staff a list of those who they should check up on after flooding, hurricanes, ice storms and the like. Responders can make sure residents’ oxygen tanks are still operating, for example.
Having a registry of residents who might need a helping hand after a natural disaster or other emergency seems like such a simple idea, it’s easy to ask, “Why didn’t anyone think of this before?”
Sanford Emergency Management Director Raymond Parent should be commended for spearheading this effort. He was reportedly inspired by the unfortunate case of Imelda Laroche, an elderly Sanford resident who died in November 2007 after living without electricity or hot water since flooding in April of that year. Officials in town were simply unaware of Laroche’s situation and only found out about it after it was too late.
This new registry could be a lifesaver for someone who would otherwise “fall through the cracks,” as Parent said happened in Laroche’s case.
However, due to federal HIPAA laws that protect patient privacy, Parent had no other option but to take the approach of making the registry voluntary, so it will be paramount that municipal officials, doctor’s offices and others to get people signed up.
It’s easy to make some people aware of the registry ”“ those who regularly visit the doctor or have visiting nurses, or receive aid from the town for heating or rent. But it’s those who live more reclusive, self-sufficient lives who are most important to get on the registry.
These are the people like Laroche who aren’t on the radar of any particular agency because they do not do business with them. Although they can make their own way in normal circumstances, natural disasters can push these people over the edge to the point where they might need help.
Even the most hard-headed, independent Yankee should be able to appreciate a neighbor stopping in to see if all is well. They can also take comfort in the fact that the registry is not distributed to other agencies, it’s simply kept by the county’s emergency management officials to be used to contact people after a storm or other disaster event.
The success of the registry depends on the combined efforts of the entire community to get people to sign up so that they can be contacted after a disaster. We would encourage all elderly or disabled people who live alone to sign up for it, and those who have a neighbor or friend who might benefit from a wellness check should encourage them to get on the list as well.
Though technology today allows us to locate a house anywhere in the world and find long lost friends from our childhood, there is no substitute for the personal relationships built right next door. While having a registry of citizens who may need a wellness check is a good idea, it should be seen as a supplement for neighborly concern, not a replacement.
It is imperative that people take the time to get to know who their neighbors are, and who they might want to keep in mind when the temperatures drop and the disasters hit home.
Privacy is very important under regular circumstances, and no one wants a nosy neighbor, whether you’re disabled or not. That said, however, emergency responders still expect all of us to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours after a disaster strikes, registry or not, so we must all plan to be there for each other when the need arises.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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