The recent impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria left Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) in complete devastation. Buildings and homes were destroyed. Hospitals, dialysis centers, and pharmacies that weren’t destroyed were closed due to water and wind damage or a lack of electricity. Transportation services were lacking or, in some areas, non-existent. These issues affected everyone; however, people with access and functional needs – including older adults and people with disabilities – were particularly vulnerable in the hurricanes’ aftermath.

In response, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) created the Aging and Disability Taskforce to assess and address unmet social service needs for these at-risk populations. Members of the Taskforce included subject matter experts from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Office for Civil Rights, and ASPR’s Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health and Community Resilience (ABC).

Obtaining situational analysis was critically important to highlighting programmatic impacts to older adults and people with disabilities. As a first step, the Taskforce facilitated effective communication and information sharing with the American Red Cross, federal civil rights attorneys, FEMA’s Office of Disability and Integration Coordination, and local networks that improve the lives of older adults and people with disabilities. The Taskforce also assessed impacts to ACL programs in Puerto Rico and USVI that provide essential support services to older adults and people with disabilities. These assessments focused on the status of building structures and the availability of accessible transportation, as well as access to clean water, food and medication, electricity, and personnel.

With this information in hand, the Taskforce was able to:

• Provide technical assistance to further incorporate civil rights laws into emergency response and recovery activities for at-risk individuals;
• Recommend response and recovery activities for programs severely impacted by the hurricanes; and
• Develop an Evacuee Transition Plan for dialysis patients that were evacuated from USVI and stationed in Atlanta, GA.

The implementation of the Evacuee Transition Plan provides a breadth of information as the Incident Response Coordination Team transitions out of fulltime care coordination. The plan is intended to address the current needs of evacuees and ensure that their essential support services are maintained, including transportation, logistics, case management, food, and lodging.

This was the first time that ASPR convened a short-term taskforce with ACL colleagues, as well as the first activity requiring ACL to work across both its aging and disability programs to assess access and functional needs simultaneously.

Having a fulltime, onsite taskforce highlighted the need to address the access and functional needs of older adults and people with disabilities in order to maintain their health during a federal emergency response, and serves as a model for future disasters and public health emergencies.