How home care providers weathered hurricanes Helene and Milton

Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused widespread destruction across the southeastern United States, with Helene significantly affecting the region’s infrastructure and Milton ranking among the most severe hurricanes to hit Florida in recent history. Both storms prompted an urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness, particularly within healthcare sectors like home-based care, which provides critical services to elderly and vulnerable populations.

These events highlighted the gaps in emergency response systems and prompted providers and government agencies to reevaluate and strengthen their crisis management strategies to ensure patient care continuity during natural disasters.

The events surrounding Hurricanes Helene and Milton provide a strong case for improving emergency planning across the home-based care sector. For many providers, these disasters have served as a stark reminder that emergency preparedness goes beyond simply having a plan in place—it requires consistent updates, training, and adaptability to respond to unpredictable events. The storms also underscored the importance of having systems that can be scaled based on the severity of the crisis.

For instance, while many home-based care organizations had general emergency plans, the intensity of the hurricanes revealed gaps that were not apparent until real-world testing. For some, communication between care providers and clients broke down as infrastructure failed, highlighting the need for more reliable, diverse methods of communication.

Ensuring that caregivers, clients, and their families have access to backup communication tools, such as satellite phones or dedicated emergency lines, could be a vital improvement for future disasters​.

Additionally, transportation issues during the hurricanes revealed the need for more robust evacuation protocols. Some providers were forced to make difficult decisions regarding clients who were unable to evacuate on their own. In response to this, many are now considering partnerships with transportation services or local authorities to better manage evacuations. These partnerships can help ensure that clients are safely relocated when it is no longer safe for them to remain in their homes​.

Strengthening community networks

Community support played a crucial role in the recovery efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Local organizations, alongside national bodies like CMS, helped coordinate relief efforts and provided critical resources to home-based care providers. This support helped reduce the burden on individual agencies, allowing them to focus on maintaining care continuity for their clients.

Strengthening these community networks moving forward will be essential for improving disaster response. Providers can benefit from formalizing relationships with local emergency services, health departments, and volunteer organizations to create a broader safety net.

For example, these partnerships could involve pre-disaster planning meetings where roles are clearly defined, and contact information is shared in advance of any emergencies. This would allow providers to tap into local resources more quickly and effectively when a crisis hits​.

Similarly, fostering relationships with non-healthcare organizations, such as local shelters, can help ensure that displaced clients have somewhere safe to go if they must leave their homes. These partnerships can also help home-based care providers quickly locate their clients after a disaster and assess their health and safety​.

Proactive emergency planning

One of the lessons from Hurricanes Helene and Milton is that emergency preparedness for home-based care providers must go beyond just meeting clients’ immediate needs. Providers also need to ensure that they can continue delivering long-term care after the initial disaster recovery phase.

In the immediate aftermath of a storm, providers may focus on urgent care needs, but without a long-term recovery plan, service delivery could be disrupted weeks or even months later.

To address this, many providers are now considering multi-phase emergency plans that cover not only the immediate disaster response but also long-term recovery strategies. This includes coordinating with suppliers to ensure access to medical supplies, maintaining relationships with backup staffing agencies, and having financial contingency plans in place to handle revenue disruptions caused by a disaster​.

For example, ensuring that sufficient medical supplies, medications, and essential equipment are stockpiled in advance can mitigate potential shortages. Additionally, providers should consider training caregivers on how to manage with fewer resources and in low-tech environments, such as using paper records when electronic health systems are unavailable due to power outages. These strategies can help maintain the quality of care, even under less-than-ideal conditions​.

The importance of mental health support

While much of the focus during and after the hurricanes was on ensuring the physical safety of clients, the emotional toll of such disasters should not be overlooked. Both clients and caregivers experienced significant stress, anxiety, and trauma during the hurricanes.

For clients, the fear of losing their homes or being separated from family members compounded the difficulties of managing their health conditions during the crisis. Caregivers, on the other hand, were often faced with the stress of caring for others while managing their own safety and that of their families.

Recognizing the importance of mental health support, many home-based care providers have started integrating psychological care into their emergency response plans. Offering counseling services, either in person or through telehealth, can help both clients and caregivers cope with the emotional impact of disasters. Providers are also incorporating training sessions to prepare caregivers for managing clients’ mental health during emergencies, helping them identify signs of stress or trauma and respond appropriately.

Training and Education

Another critical area for improvement is caregiver training and education. Hurricanes Helene and Milton revealed that many caregivers were not fully prepared to handle certain emergency scenarios. Some lacked basic first aid skills, while others were unsure of how to manage patients with complex medical needs when power was out or communication systems were down.

Moving forward, more providers are investing in comprehensive emergency preparedness training for their staff. This includes not only disaster-specific training but also general education on how to remain calm and make informed decisions during crises. Simulation exercises, where caregivers are placed in hypothetical disaster scenarios, can help build confidence and improve their ability to respond effectively.

Providers are also offering refresher courses on key skills like CPR, wound care, and emergency medication management to ensure caregivers are well-equipped to handle any situation​.

In conclusion, the response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton has provided a wealth of lessons for the home-based care sector. From improving communication and evacuation plans to bolstering community partnerships and mental health support, there is a clear need for a more robust, multi-faceted approach to disaster preparedness.

By integrating these lessons into their planning and training, home-based care providers can better protect their clients and caregivers, ensuring continuity of care even in the face of future crises. Ultimately, the resilience and adaptability shown by these providers serve as an inspiration for the entire industry as it works to safeguard the most vulnerable members of society.