June 2026 Newsletter

September is National Preparedness Month, an annual campaign sponsored by FEMA’s Ready Campaign to encourage individuals, families, and communities to prepare for natural and man-made disasters.

For older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers, it doesn’t take a major disaster to create an emergency, which can simply be triggered when the water stops running, the electricity goes out during a heat wave, or a nearby fire requires evacuation.

These scenarios can quickly become a serious health and safety concern for vulnerable populations, and can lead to temporary displacement – an emergency in and of itself.

Prolonged water disruption can affect drinking water, meal preparation, sanitation, medications, and personal care. For someone who is homebound or has limited mobility, simply being told that bottled water is available at a distribution site may not solve the problem.

Electrical outages create similar challenges, particularly during periods of extreme heat. Without air conditioning or fans, temperatures inside a home can rise quickly. Refrigerated food and medications may be at risk. Medical and mobility equipment may not function. Elevators may not operate in senior housing, leaving residents with mobility limitations isolated on upper floors.

A fire produces another set of immediate and longer-term needs. Evacuating safely is only the beginning. Older residents may suddenly need temporary housing, clothing, food, medications, transportation, replacement medical equipment, or assistance contacting family and service providers. The effects of displacement can continue long after the fire department has left.

These are the moments when community collaboration becomes essential.

Across Connecticut, Area Agencies on Aging are part of a larger network that includes municipal social services departments, emergency management, senior centers, police and fire departments, the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, healthcare organizations, nutrition providers, housing organizations, nonprofits, volunteers, and other community partners. Each brings something different to the response.

• The aging network brings another important perspective: Who needs help in getting the resources designed to help them through the emergency?
• Who is checking on the older adult living alone during a heat-related power outage?
• Who knows someone who cannot carry heavy bottled water into their apartment?
• Who recognizes that a person displaced by a fire also receives home-delivered meals or in-home care?
• Who follows up after the immediate emergency to make sure services have been restored?

Preparedness is about more than emergency supplies. It is about the one-on-one human resources that will be required, and building relationships of trust, assistance, and dependability before they are needed. Does the person who needs assistance know who to call? More importantly, do we know who still needs someone to call them after they’ve received information, supplies, and resources? Can the hands crippled by arthritis open the bottled water? Can the eyes blurred by glaucoma read the prescription bottle?

When emergency response partners know one another and understand their respective roles beforehand, they can respond more quickly and effectively.

Connecticut communities will continue to experience unexpected emergencies. We cannot prevent every disruption, but we can strengthen our connections to help ensure that older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers are not overlooked when disruptions occur.

Sometimes the most important emergency resource is not something stored on a shelf. A relationship that is always at the ready during ordinary times becomes a lifeline during extraordinary times.