Seniors Attend Red Cross Disaster Readiness Class

Whenever a disaster strikes, senior citizens must be prepared in the event of a dire emergency such as a tornado, hurricanes, severe winter weather or hazardous materials. These disasters can cause power outages, communication and transportation destruction and limited access to normal resources. 

A week after the town's latest snow emergency this winter, the Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross gave a workshop to educate seniors at the Greenwich Senior Center on Wednesday, dispensing valuable advice on how to prepare themselves in case an emergency occurs. Emergency kits also were distributed to the seniors.

Patch spoke with the two representatives of the National Preparedness and Readiness Corps from the Red Cross Greenwich Chapter — Melissa Ortiz of Americorps and Jocindee Sancho-Kromah, both of whom are completing their year of service in tandem with the Red Cross.

“Seniors should always be prepared ahead of time in the event of an emergency and have a plan, your emergency kit, follow directions from officials that are announcing what to do on TV or the radio,” Ortiz explained. She added, “They are more prone to medical difficulties so in their kit it should include medical supplies that they’re going to need for a minimum of three days — they have more special needs.”

Sancho-Kromah said seniors should attend the emergency preparedness classes offered by the Red Cross to get helpful advice.

“The senior population is very vulnerable — fthey’re a little more fragile than adults so if we educate them hopefully we can prevent the amount of injuries and disasters and things that happen to them in an emergency or disaster which is the purpose of this education class,” she said.

Three of the Greenwich seniors who attended the class, Louise Imbrogno, Christina Lovollo and Hilda Spence said they thought the emergency preparedness class was informative.

“I live alone and you don’t think of all the things that you could do by yourself. Hopefully I would be prepared but it makes me nervous to think about it," Imbrogno said.

“The class taught me how to take care of myself and my family in case of an emergency.  Now that I have the kit, I’m prepared to use it," Lovollo said.

“It taught me how to prepare for disasters and if they come what precautions you should take and we learned how to communicate with the outside world. Most of the time when there is a disaster we tend to get panicky which we should not — we should be more prepared for emergencies,” Spence said.

Here are some tips that the Red Cross suggests for planning in case for a disaster or an emergency:

* Talk with relatives, neighbors or caretaking network and arrange to have someone check on you in case you need assistance. Keep your contacts current.

* Keep a cell phone handy since it does not depend on electricity in case there’s a power outage.

* Discuss emergency procedures with your medical provider. If you have home health care service, talk to them what you would need in the event of an emergency. Teach others how you may need help in operating necessary medical equipment. If you are medically dependent on electricity or have other difficulties contact the Greenwich Health Department.

* Register on the Greenwich town website for their 911 system. Instead of calling 911 for help, 911 will call to check on you.

* Always carry a first aid and emergency kit. This kit should contain, medication, crowbar, a flashlight with extra batteries, a cooling and heating source, freeze dried food, a portable aluminum blanket, a travel-sized hygiene supplies kit, cell phone, radio, (turn radio to emergency contact news stations, 1400 AM in Greenwich, and 1390 AM in Stamford) and listen to the messages and follow the instructions, a glow stick, (never use candles—they cause fires) band-aids, gauze, body warmers, and even playing cards, books, crossword puzzles, coloring books to relieve stress, and the ‘file of life’ which was provided in the kit by the Red Cross. It will tell the paramedics about your medications that you’re taking, medical information and ID. The kit also provided literature and resources on planning for a potential disaster and Red Cross emergency phone numbers.

For more tips on emergency readiness, visit the Red Cross, Greenwich Chapter website at: http://www.greenwichredcross.org or call (203) 869-8444. The chapter also loans medical supplies including walkers, wheelchairs, canes, crutches and shower benches.