Newswise — KATRINA LESSONS LEARNED: The perception held by many Americans before Hurricane Katrina " that the federal government would swoop in and save the day during a crisis " is a thing of the past, says Michael Thomas, MPH, associate director of the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University. We now know that local governments and community organizations must take the lead on evacuation efforts and restoring infrastructure in the wake of a disaster. St. Louis benefited from this lesson in managing an unprecedented power outage after a storm rolled through the city this summer. "What we learned from Katrina was instrumental in how we handled the storm. We focused on the most vulnerable of our citizens and restored power where it was most needed: hospitals, nursing homes and other critical places."
THINK OF GRANDMA: Senior adults are more negatively affected than other groups by disasters such as heat waves and hurricanes, yet little is being done to help them, according to a recent public policy publication. The report is published by the National Academy on an Aging Society in the latest issue of the Public Policy & Aging Report. Nina Tumosa, Ph.D., professor of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University, can discuss SLU research underway on how to give frail elders the special attention they need in case of disaster.
FOOD SAFETY: Use the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as a time to plan ahead to keep your food safe, says Kathy Kress, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at SLU's Doisy College of Health Sciences. Foul weather can cause electrical power outages, which can cause refrigerated and frozen foods to spoil, Kress says. She suggests taking a few precautions. Buy an appliance thermometer to ensure foods are kept at the proper temperature " below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill empty plastic milk jugs three-quarters with water and freeze. You can use these home-made blocks of ice to stash inside your refrigerator if the power goes out and the temperature climbs above 40 degrees.
NURSES ON ALERT: St. Louis' extended electrical power outage after the storms last month reinforced lessons from Hurricane Katrina, says Dotti James, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences. Although local nurses were willing to help during the crisis, some could not because they were victims of the disaster. "They are part of the sandwich generation and had to juggle personal responsibilities such as caring for elderly parents who were in poor health. They would have needed a support system to drop everything and help during the crisis." Fortunately, James says, nurses from Kansas City took buses to St. Louis to lend a hand, which is similar to the pitch-in attitude shown by nurses across the country during Hurricane Katrina. James is coauthor of a book that prepares nurses to take a leadership role when disaster strikes.
THE FORGOTTEN MOLD PROBLEM: A year after Katrina, it's clear New Orleans is still a disaster. As part of an ongoing HUD research project to determine the best ways to remove mold from buildings, Anu Dixit, Ph.D., assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, visited New Orleans this past spring and found the mold problem was overwhelming and neglected. "There are other priorities there: rebuilding the government, trying to lure businesses back, etc. Ridding the buildings of water-damaged and moldy materials just isn't on many people's minds, which is a big problem " it will unnecessarily complicate the remediation and rebuilding processes." After the massive storm that hit St. Louis last month, Dixit can also discuss tips for managing mold in your own home.
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