FEMA rolls out campaign to help seniors prepare for disasters
The federal government is working to prepare its older citizens, especially financially vulnerable ones, for national disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency — in coordination with nonprofit the Ad Council — is releasing new public service announcements Thursday that specifically target older adults, especially those with limited financial resources, disabilities, and living in rural areas. FEMA provided Yahoo Finance with an early look at its campaign.
The goal is to make sure seniors not only can ride out a major catastrophe but can financially weather the aftermath as well.
"We know that there are a lot of different inequities across society, and when a disaster happens, it just exasperates them," FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told Yahoo Finance. "And so these targeted campaigns help us get into some of these more under-resourced communities, give them information on how they can take steps to help protect and prepare their families."
Read more: How much money should I have in an emergency savings account?
The PSAs include three steps that seniors can take to prepare themselves for a disaster like a hurricane or mass power outage: Assess needs, make a plan, and engage support networks. A new website, Ready.gov/OlderAdults, offers more precise advice on how to prepare. The site also offers the option to translate into other languages as well including Spanish and Creole.
Criswell said personal finance plays a critical role in disaster preparation.
"Do you have coverage in your insurance policy? Do you have enough funding in your bank account, to perhaps stay in a hotel for two or three nights if you have to evacuate?" said Criswell. "So as you're assessing your needs, … we really want people to create that safety net of financial resources, whether it's through insurance or personal resources, to be able to support them in the immediate days after a disaster hits."
For instance, a disaster can disrupt mail service for days or weeks. So the new website recommends that seniors who rely on Social Security benefits protect themselves financially by switching to electronic payments. Additionally, the Treasury Department advises Americans to have their Social Security benefits directly deposited to a checking or savings account or to consider the Direct Express prepaid debit card, which offers a good alternative to paper.
"So by setting up electronic payments, you don't have to worry about having to go to your mailbox, you don't have to worry about going to submit your checks," Jaclyn Rothenberg, FEMA’s director of public affairs, told Yahoo Finance. "We don't want people to have a loss in payment."
Another recommendation: Seniors should make copies of Medicaid, Medicare, and other insurance cards.
"I think having it on hand right away as opposed to not knowing where it is or feeling like you have to go back into your home, it's just going to help you get all the assistance that you need faster," Rothenberg said.
Ready.gov also includes a Disaster Preparedness Guide for Older Adults with even more detail on how seniors can prepare for emergencies. The guide includes worksheets. Seniors can use it to record essential emergency kit items, important phone numbers, and medications.
Though the PSAs primarily target seniors, Criswell emphasized that the campaign goes beyond them.
"I would say anything that we are also doing in any of these targeted campaigns can apply to anyone," said Criswell. "And so, we encourage everyone to look at ready.gov or listo.gov to help find the tools and the resources that can help them plan to protect their families."
Dylan Croll is a Yahoo Finance reporter.
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