[Senate Hearing 119-82]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 119-82
PREPARING FOR DISASTERS:
UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING
OLDER AMERICANS
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
WASHINGTON, DC
__________
MAY 14, 2025
__________
Serial No. 119-08
Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-496 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
RICK SCOTT, Florida, Chairman
DAVE McCORMICK, Pennsylvania KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
JIM JUSTICE, West Virginia ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts
TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama MARK KELLY, Arizona
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia
ASHLEY MOODY, Florida ANDY KIM, New Jersey
JON HUSTED, Ohio ANGELA ALSOBRO, soS, Maryland
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McKinley Lewis, Majority Staff Director
Claire Descamps, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Opening Statement of Senator Rick Scott, Chairman................ 1
Opening Statement of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Ranking
Member......................................................... 2
PANEL OF WITNESSES
The Honorable Chris Nocco, Sheriff, Pasco County Sheriff's
Office, New Port Richey, Florida............................... 3
Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of Disaster Programs, American Red
Cross, Washington, DC.......................................... 6
L. Vance Taylor, Subject Matter Expert, Inclusive Emergency
Management, Rancho Cordova, California......................... 8
APPENDIX
Prepared Witness Statements
The Honorable Chris Nocco, Sheriff, Pasco County Sheriff's
Office, New Port Richey, Florida............................... 28
Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of Disaster Programs, American Red
Cross, Washington, DC.......................................... 30
L. Vance Taylor, Subject Matter Expert, Inclusive Emergency
Management, Rancho Cordova, California......................... 33
Questions for the Record
L. Vance Taylor, Subject Matter Expert, Inclusive Emergency
Management, Rancho Cordova, California......................... 37
Statements for the Record
AARP Statement................................................... 43
AFGE Statement................................................... 45
Alliance for Home Dialysis Statement............................. 47
Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Impact Movement Statement 49
American Red Cross Statement..................................... 51
Daintry Bartoldus Statement...................................... 52
Disability Rights New York Statement............................. 53
Erika Felix Statement............................................ 54
Justice in Aging Statement....................................... 56
K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and
Disability Statement........................................... 59
Moving Forward Statement......................................... 61
United Way of New York Statement................................. 63
PREPARING FOR DISASTERS:
UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING
OLDER AMERICANS
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Wednesday, May 14, 2025
U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:33 p.m., Room
106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Rick Scott, Chairman
of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senator Scott, McCormick, Johnson, Moody,
Gillibrand, Warnock, and Kim.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR
RICK SCOTT, CHAIRMAN
The Chairman. The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
will now come to order. Today, we're gathered to highlight the
importance of disaster preparedness. Natural disasters do not
discriminate: It doesn't matter how old you are, how much money
you have, or how smart you think you might be. If you aren't
prepared, nothing else matters.
While being prepared is vital for everyone, it is
especially important for seniors who often have different and
more complex needs than their younger neighbors and friends. As
a senior senator from Florida, I'm no stranger to disasters.
During my eight years as Governor and six years serving
Floridians in the U.S. Senate, I've seen the destruction left
behind by multiple devastating hurricanes in the sunshine
State. If there's one lesson I've learned, it's that
preparedness saves lives.
There is no alternative to getting prepared and having a
disaster plan. When disasters strike, the things around us can
be replaced, but if you don't protect your life, there is no
second chance. I tell Floridians constantly during hurricane
season: you can rebuild your home, but you cannot rebuild your
life. I cannot tell you how many Floridians I have talked to
that barely survived hurricanes and wish they would've done
more to be prepared. I've also talked to heartbroken families
that lost a loved one who didn't take these storms seriously.
I'll never forget talking to a young man in Mexico Beach,
which is in our Panhandle, the day after Hurricane Michael made
his devastating landfall there in 2018. He was frantically
searching for his elderly mother, who had stayed in her home on
the beach to ride out the storm because he said he tried to get
her to evacuate, but she said, oh, I've lived here forever, and
nothing's going to happen.
Unfortunately, that young man wouldn't find his mom until
days later. She had been swept away by the massive storm surge
and didn't survive. It breaks your heart to hear these stories.
She should still be alive today.
My hope is that our hearing today will motivate older
Americans to take disaster preparedness seriously. Hurricane
season is just weeks away and being prepared saves lives. Being
from Florida, it's no surprise that most of my experience with
disasters has come from responding to hurricanes, but it's not
just storms that folks need to prepare for. We all have seen
devastating wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other
natural disasters impact our country. We have to remember that
disaster can strike at any moment.
That is why being prepared and having a plan is so
important, especially for our aging population who face unique
challenges. Older Americans are disproportionately affected by
natural disasters. In Florida, nearly 60 percent of the deaths
from Hurricane Ian were seniors.
If you're a senior, if you have loved ones who are seniors
or anyone watching this right now, go to ready.gov and see what
you need to be prepared to make a plan. That includes having an
evacuation plan and knowing what to do If you must leave your
home. You should also make sure to stock up on emergency
supplies like food, water, and first aid supplies. For our
seniors especially, a really important part of this is making
sure to have medications. You have to make sure you have a plan
that ensures you have enough medicine to last a week.
There are so many things to think about, but when you have
a plan in place, you can get prepared in advance, it's so much
easier and less stressful than trying to get everything done
with a storm barreling through the Atlantic or Gulf of America.
I'm so glad to have the witnesses before us today and have
them share their expertise and experience, listen to them. It
could very well be the difference in saving your life should
disaster strike. Don't put your family and your loved ones at
risk. Don't wait to take action. Get prepared today.
Now, I'd like to recognize Ranking Member Gillibrand for
her opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, RANKING MEMBER
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Chairman Scott for calling
today's hearing. This is an urgent and important issue and one
that our State knows really quite well.
Natural disasters are dangerous for everyone, but we know
they're especially dangerous for older adults and people with
disabilities. Research shows that people with disabilities are
up to four times more likely to die in a disaster than the
general population, and that older adults are more likely to
die in a disaster than any other demographic.
When Hurricane Sandy struck New York in 2012, nearly all
the fatalities were people over the age of 65. In February 2021
when a winter storm struck Jacksonville, Texas, 60 percent of
the 246 deaths were people over the age of 60. We know the
risks, and we know the statistics, and it's our responsibility
to plan accordingly.
Older adults are much more likely to have a disability than
the general population, which may impact their mobility,
sensory processing, or cognitive function. We must develop
accessible shelters and transportation, accessible alerts in
multiple languages, and plan for relocating people who live in
long-term care facilities before disaster strikes, not after.
That's one of the reasons why I introduced my Strategic
Plan for Aging in the 118th Congress, and I plan to reintroduce
it again in this Congress. My bill would create a new
nationwide grant program under the Older Americans Act, to
incentivize and support states' efforts to create their own
strategic plans for aging, which would include disaster
preparedness as part of it.
In addition to planning, we have to also make sure that
state and local governments are properly resourced to build
accessibility into their disaster recovery and response. That
means safeguarding federal resources like those provided
through FEMA or the Administration for Community Living.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about
solutions to improve outcomes for older adults and people with
disabilities during disasters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Gillibrand. I'd
like to welcome our witnesses here today, all of whom bring
important perspectives on the challenges facing the elderly
when it comes to preparing for a disaster. First, I'd like to
recognize Sheriff Chris Nocco from Pasco County. In 2011, when
I was Governor of Florida, I appointed him to serve as Sheriff,
who was elected to the position in 2012, then reelected without
opposition in 16, 20 and 24. That all of them 12, 16, 20. When
I was Governor, I had the opportunity to appoint a Sheriff if
there was an opening and I think Chris was the first one I got
to.
When it comes to disaster preparedness, the Sheriff is an
expert. Just last year, the Gulf Coast of Florida was severely
hit by hurricanes. The Sheriff and I have worked closely in
response last year and throughout my years as Senator and
Governor to make sure the residents of Pasco County are safe,
prepared for anything that may impact them. The Sheriff and his
deputies are always working to make sure their community is
prepared for any emergency and ready to respond if disaster
strikes.
Thank you for being here today and look forward to hearing
your testimony. Go ahead.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE CHRIS NOCCO, SHERIFF,
PASCO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
NEW PORT RICHEY, FLORIDA
Mr. Nocco. Thank you, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member
Gillibrand, and members of the Special Committee on Aging for
inviting me to speak before you today.
My name is Chris Nocco, and I have the distinct honor of
serving as a Sheriff of Pasco County, Florida, a county just
north of Tampa Bay on Florida's Gulf Coast, with the population
of roughly 750,000, with 22 percent of that population being 65
years or older.
I'd be remiss if I did not note today as the senator said,
that Senator Rick Scott appointed me, Sheriff. Senator Rick
Scott, when he was Governor of Florida, guided our State
through unprecedented storms and hurricane seasons and the
impact he left on preparedness, execution, public private
partnerships, and emergency response is still saving lives and
property in Florida today.
I'd also be remiss to not note the outstanding partnership
that we had with another one of your Committee members, Senator
Ashley Moody, who was Florida's attorney General. Senator Moody
was a leader in scam prevention, price gouging, unlicensed
contracting, and other issues that impacted all Florida
citizens, but especially our senior population as they both
prepare and recover from hurricanes.
With that, over the last year, our Pasco County community
faced in short succession, the threat of hurricanes Debbie,
Helene, and Milton. With more than 24 miles of coastline, Pasco
County has unique challenges from the storms, even though none
of them made direct landfall in Pasco County.
As Debbie and Helene moved north through the Gulf of
America, within 100 miles of Pasco County's coast, storm surge
was pushed ashore, greatly impacting the more than 50,000
residents of Pasco County who live west of US19. This area of
our county is home to many seniors and has direct impact on
them.
The overnight hours of September 25th and 26th, as
hurricane Helene moved north just off of our coastline, I
joined members of our Sheriff's office along with Pasco Fire
Rescue, and we conducted active water rescue. We were also
joined by the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard,
whose assistance was invaluable.
In those overnight hours, we were able to rescue more than
100 people from a rapidly rising storm surge, which ultimately
crested at near record levels. Anecdotally, we were told by the
National Guard that they had a vehicle rated for 18 feet of
water that was unable to pass any further after encountering
water in one of our neighborhoods.
I myself witnessed individuals who had climbed on roofs to
avoid the rapidly rising storm surge. In one instance, a
female, her small child, and elderly relatives, had climbed to
a roof of a three-story multifamily housing unit and were
awaiting rescue. This speaks directly to the need to follow
local emergency management officials and orders, such as
evacuation, especially for the most vulnerable among our
community.
That is furthered by another example of a water rescue call
for service we received in a hurricane in 2023, and when we
responded to the elderly couple with a boat to rescue them from
the rapidly flooding house, they were not prepared and still
needed to gather various medications and their family pets.
We encourage everyone, if you do not heed local evacuation
orders, be prepared to go when you make the decision, or risk
your life as well as the lives of first responders. Waiting for
preparation to occur with rapidly rising floodwaters is not
feasible for any party involved.
In these instances, our first priority is life and safety
and rescue. As you can imagine, all resources we have become
involved in these rescue operations. Even with that, without
the support of the National Guard, Coast Guard, Florida State
Guard, and Florida Fish and Wildlife, we would not have been as
successful as we were.
The resources that the state and federal partnerships such
as the National Guard and Coast Guard can bring with them to
these disasters? Response situations is invaluable for local
communities such as Pasco County.
Hurricane Milton, which impacted our community in October
of last year, presented a different challenge, as Milton made
landfall south of Tampa Bay. We did not immediately see large
impacts, however, as Milton moved through the center of our
State in a northern direction, dropping rain on already
saturated rivers and other bodies of water, riverine, flooding
became a significant issue.
Several days after Milton made landfall, and facing record
levels of flooding on several rivers in Pasco County, we were
called for several rescues, especially in the neighborhoods in
Wesley Chapel. Again, with the assistance of our state and
federal partners, this rescue operation would not have been as
successful.
Let me say this, in my opinion, that law enforcement and
emergency response must continue to advance and embrace rapidly
evolving technologies. Items such as drones provide invaluable
benefits to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Our
partnerships with Skydio and with Axon have led us to believe
that drone technology is assisting us and helping to save lives
in our community.
With that being said, I know my information is going into
the record. I appreciate your time, but I most importantly want
to thank our citizens for all their support. The first
responders in Tampa Bay, all the people that are out there,
power linesmen, those that are in the gas supply industry, are
critically necessary.
The last thing, and most importantly, is our Lord Jesus
Christ and ask him to protect us in this hurricane season.
The Chairman. Thanks, Sheriff. The Sheriff has--the way
what they've done in Pasco County, which is just north of
Tampa, but also the whole area, the Sheriff's departments, the
police departments, the fire departments, the all the first
responders, they do an unbelievable job of coordinating all
their activities and sharing resources, and you guys do a great
job. Thank you, so, congratulations.
Next Red Cross. I had the opportunity to work with Red
Cross. When I was Governor, I had four big hurricanes, I had
flooding, I had tornadoes, so I had it all, and what's great
is, if the Red Cross shows up, they've helped us. They helped
us with our shelters. They fed a lot of people. They opened up
healthcare facilities, the name. They've just done an
unbelievable job.
Our next witness is Jennifer Pipa, Vice President of
disaster programs for the American Red Cross. Prior to this
role, Mrs. Pipa served as CEO of Georgia's Red Cross, and
previously served as the Regional Executive for the Red Cross
of Central Florida. Her Red Cross career began in 2004 when she
was four years old, when she joined the Disaster Action Team in
Raleigh, North Carolina as a volunteer.
Thank you for being here today. I look forward to your
testimony.
STATEMENT OF JENNIFER PIPA, VICE PRESIDENT
OF DISASTER PROGRAMS, AMERICAN
RED CROSS, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Pipa. Thank you for the age adjustment. I appreciate
that, Senator. Good afternoon, Chairman Scott and Ranking
Member Gillibrand and distinguished members of the Committee.
Thank you for the privilege of being able to testify before you
today on behalf of the American Red Cross. We commend the
Committee on holding a much-needed hearing on the unique
challenges that face older Americans and how to help them
prepare better for disasters.
Amongst the most significant challenges the American Red
Cross encounters in our disaster work, is meeting the needs of
older Americans that are impacted by disasters. Nearly 20
percent of Americans are in that 65 and older age group, and
the current growth population shows that just growing more and
more as we continue on.
This increase in population and older Americans comes at a
time when we are having more frequent and more costly
disasters, so, when this is happening and that's becoming our
new normal, and we're seeing this age demographic and this
maturity population, the intersection of these two are
absolutely a critical moment in time.
I want to share a personal experience I had actually in
Florida after Hurricane Ian. I was out after the first couple
of days driving around. We were making sure people knew where
our shelters were, that we had meals, that they could connect
with us so that we could help them navigate the complex
recovery environment, and as I drove by, there was this woman,
she was in her home kind of sifting through things, and when
you looked in through the windows, it was like someone had
taken her home and just shaken it up, so, the refrigerator was
in the middle of the kitchen, the couches and the bookcases
were piled on the side, and she was going through her stuff.
She was trying to move stuff; she was trying to find stuff,
so, I went inside, I introduced myself to her. Her name's
Jackie, so, she was a retired home economics teacher from
Upstate New York, and once she had retired, her and her husband
chose to move down to Fort Myers, Florida.
She had done everything right. She had listened to the
warnings, she was weather aware, when the officials told her to
evacuate, she and her husband evacuated, but she still lost her
home, and when she returned and I was talking to her, I was
asking her about her neighbors because she was so proud of the
neighborhood and everyone that she knew in it. This was her
entire life. This was her social fabric at that moment in time.
What she told me was there were some people who chose not
to evacuate. In fact, one of her neighbors unfortunately lost
his life because he hadn't.
She's this incredibly intelligent, well-articulated woman,
and you know that she's got a road here ahead of her that's
going to be really tough, but she's one of those folks where
you think, I know she's going to be able to do this. I have
faith that she's going to be able to navigate this. In
continuing to talk to her in the days and weeks afterwards,
here's what Jackie reminded me of. The disaster never lets her
forget that she was now a victim of it. That her life is
immeasurably changed because of the impact of that disaster.
Simple things that you and I take for granted every single
day, like what grocery store to go to, or I need to make an
appointment with my local doctor or my local bank. She's forced
to make new decisions. It's not a choice she made. It is a
choice that was forced upon her, and now she has to renegotiate
what the rest of her retirement is going to look like with her
husband, because she unfortunately was impacted from a
disaster.
We know folks, as they get older, they rely on that
repeatable, sustainable, stable infrastructure so that they can
continue to live independently, but still be able to take care
of themselves, and what disasters do, is they strip our
population of that ability. It takes away that autonomy. It
takes away the empowerment to make those choices and forces
them down a road that was not of their choosing.
We see this in older Americans time and time again after a
disaster happens that they struggle, that they were fine
before, but that navigation afterwards, when the systems are
upset and you don't know where everything is that you need it
to be, they really, really struggle with that, and so, we know
that's an important population that we have to continue to keep
track of and support as they make those tough decisions about
what their next steps are.
In times of disaster the American Red Cross stands as a
beacon of hope, and we rely on that hope and compassion to take
care of every American that gets impacted because of a
disaster, and we're equally committed to supporting our older
Americans.
In fact, 40 percent of our volunteer population is over 60.
That's neighbors helping neighbors. That's the best outcome you
can have because they understand the hard and difficult road
ahead and as a volunteer, they can speak with credibility and
help understand and identify and empathize with those families
as they begin their recovery effort.
Their service reflects the value and the dedication of our
organization, and our older Americans they aren't just
recipients of our help here. They actually help and facilitate
and empower our communities to help ourselves.
On behalf of the American Red Cross, first of all, thank
you again for the opportunity to talk about this important
issue, and thank you to our donors and our volunteers who show
up every single time we call to go out and deliver that Red
Cross mission.
Thank you.
The Chairman. You have to raise money to do a lot of this,
right?
Ms. Pipa. Yes, sir. We do.
The Chairman. Thank you, and thank you for what the Red
Cross does. Next, I'd like to recognize Ranking Member
Gillibrand to introduce the next witness.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Chairman Scott, I want to
introduce our final witness, Mr. Luis Vance Taylor. Mr. Taylor
is the Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at
the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. In this
capacity, Mr. Taylor works to ensure that older Californians
and Californians with disabilities are not left behind during
disasters by striving to guarantee their inclusion during the
emergency planning process. Thank you for being with us Mr.
Taylor.
STATEMENT OF L. VANCE TAYLOR, SUBJECT
MATTER EXPERT, INCLUSIVE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT, RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIFORNIA
Mr. Taylor. Thank you very much for having me. Chairman
Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, members of the Committee, it
is my honor to testify today. I do so not on behalf of any
government agency, but as a subject matter expert in the field
of emergency management, who lives with a disability and uses a
power wheelchair.
As has been said, we are in an era of increasingly frequent
and severe disasters. As the scope and scale and devastation
associated with those events grows, it's critical that we
recognize that wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, they strike
without regard to geography or politics--they consistently and
disproportionately however, impact older adults and people with
disabilities.
One reason why we see that disproportionate impact, is
because well-intentioned emergency managers who can walk and
see and hear have oftentimes developed plans in isolation
without input from the full spectrum of the communities they
serve.
I activate in response to major disasters.
One time, while visiting an emergency shelter, I saw
survivors and they were there on the worst day of their lives.
It was hot, muggy, ash from the air clung to their sweat. It
formed a thick grime that covered their skin. Because the
jurisdiction hadn't integrated the provision of portable
accessible showers, when older adults and people with
disabilities arrived, they couldn't bathe, and I'll never
forget the look on their faces when I had to tell them that
they had no choice but to sit in their own filth until we could
bring in the appropriate resources for them.
Experiences like this should serve as a call to action to
embrace inclusive planning. As a best practice, forward-leaning
emergency management agencies are ending the practice of
planning for the community, and instead, they're choosing to
plan with the community. One vital step is creating Access and
Functional Needs Advisory Committees that ensure better
outcomes for the whole community.
Inclusive planning leads to press conferences with a ASL
interpreter, posting of critical updates in accessible formats,
the provision of accessible evacuation resources, and shelters
that are physically and programmatically accessible. When the
whole community is involved in planning, the result is a system
that hears and sees and serves everyone, and more than that,
it's a system that literally saves lives.
California leads the Nation in inclusive planning, and yet
I'll be the first one to say the work is far from done. We have
resources to develop innovative practices and training, and we
share those resources freely with states across the country,
but as valuable as those tools are, when disasters strike, what
communities truly need is sustained support from federal
partners like FEMA, ACL and ASPR.
They need funding for the full range of federal resources
required to respond to and recover from events that overwhelm
local capacities. Cutting or eliminating those agencies would
have devastating consequences, especially for older adults and
people with disabilities, whose safety, independence, and
survival often hangs in the balance.
Senator Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and members of
the Committee-you have an opportunity to affirm that the
mission of inclusive emergency management is one of the most
human responsibilities we share, to show that Washington can be
counted on, to empower emergency managers in the whole
community, to lift the hands that hang down, to reduce human
suffering, to prevent the needless loss of life among older
adults and individuals with disabilities.
Doing so is a reflection, of course, of who we are--not as
Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, and it's a lift,
but you don't have to lift alone. Federal agencies will lift
with you. States across the country will lift with you. I will
lift with you, and as we lift together, the communities we
serve will ascend.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Taylor. Now we're going to go
to questions, and first Senator Moody.
Senator Moody. Thank you, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member
Gillibrand. I have to commend our Chair again. He always seems
to be on top of timely issues as it relates to our seniors, and
once again, I mean, we have dealt with everything from opioids
and now we're dealing with disasters for seniors.
Thank you so much for having the energy and the diligence
to follow through on making sure we're delivering on this
topic. It's so important, especially to our State. We have such
a large senior population. In fact, in my former role as
Attorney General, I went to a field hearing where Senator Scott
hosted in the villages of Florida and that was such a great
event, and who would've ever thought that as the newest U.S.
Senator that we would be sitting here as colleagues discussing
aging and issues related to older Americans.
Thank you so much for your support since I've been here and
for your remarkable leadership as the chair of this Committee,
and thank you for the two Floridians that came all this way to
join us for the hearing. Very much appreciate that. As Attorney
General, I was a fierce fighter for our seniors. I went so far
as to set up a senior protection team, enlisted the help of law
enforcement and our civil lawyers.
One of the things and--certainly law enforcement does a
remarkable job of communicating with our seniors as a disaster
or as a hurricane is approaching, or a threat is approaching
our shores, making sure we're evacuating them, those that will
evacuate. Law enforcement coordination and proactive leadership
is just incredible in Florida, and I thank you Sheriff Nocco.
One of the other things I commend Florida law enforcement
for, and I want to make sure that we're doing this across the
Nation, is recognizing that the seniors after the storm passes
and the crimes that occur oftentimes, you have to be specially
trained. You have to be aware that when a contractor comes in
and demands cash payments from our seniors and they willingly
hand over large amounts of money, and then they never return to
do any work, or when someone gets a senior to sign a power of
attorney and then takes their benefits without ever doing
anything in the best interest of that senior, I mean, to some
extent what used to be, I think thought of in law enforcement
as a contractual or civil issue, we are now bringing around law
enforcement in Florida to say no, in many of these instances,
this isn't a contractual dispute. This isn't whether a contract
term was delivered on, or we followed through on a specific
agreement as we agreed upon. This is outright theft, and law
enforcement in Florida has really taken that on.
It's important that yes, there are going to be contractual
disputes in recovery process. Anytime you're going through a
large recovery process like we've seen in Florida, that will
happen, but in many instances, it's these fly by-night scam
artists, criminals. I had a sheriff call me frantically one
time talking about how someone had demanded $30,000 to trim a
senior's tree, and they were about to hand it over, but the
Sheriff had to come in and go after those folks, so I
appreciate the proactive leadership.
Sheriff Nocco, you have been at the helm and leading your
county admirably through these storms, protecting seniors. Have
you seen similar crimes like that? Is there anything that you
think we can do federally to encourage law enforcement when it
is a crime and its outright theft of being more proactive in
the aftermath of a disaster?
Mr. Nocco. Thank you, Senator, and appreciate it. First
time officially saying from Attorney General to Senator, so
congratulations on your new position, so, you hit a very good
point. The fact that, and it goes a lot of things that what
people are talking about, is that senior citizens, when they
come to Florida, they move from all over the country. They're
used to snow storms or anything else, but they move to Florida
and they're not used to hurricanes, and the fact that the
family, you know, may be out of state, and so there's a lot of
things that the family can do to prepare their loved ones for
hurricanes.
You know, we always tell them, make sure they have a plan
in place. You know, make sure you tell your loved ones where
they are, but what's often forgotten is what you brought up is
the fact afterwards, what happens when there is a tree in their
yard? What happens when you have electrical damage, things that
happen, so, you make a great point.
One of the things that within the Pasco Sheriff's Office,
we're blessed with great members. We do unlicensed contractors
stings. In those unlicensed contractor stings right after the
storms, we'll do them too, because we recognize and we know
that people come in from out of states and different areas of
the state to prey on these senior citizens, so, it's the
education piece that we can do.
From the federal level, you know, we're always happy when
federal partners come in to assist us because the one problem
that we see from a local level, is that we may be overwhelmed,
whether the lights around different areas and providing
security you know, the linesmen from different power companies
are coming in and so we're providing security for them, but the
more it frees up the local Law enforcement to protect the
senior citizens or any citizens from these unlicensed
contractors, that would allow us to be more proactive out
there, rather than responding because we're being reactive to
the storm and the issues that occurred from the storm.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you so much.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Moody. Senator Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand. I'm going to defer my time to Senator
Kim.
Senator Kim. Thank you. I believe we have Mr. Taylor
virtually. Is that correct? Well look, thank you all for
joining up here. You know, this is something that I've thought
about a lot. You know, one night before I came into the Senate,
I was over in the House of Representatives, but I represented a
district at part of the Jersey Shore, but also had some of the
largest retirement communities in the country, folks that
probably spent half the year down where the chairman lives with
the snowbirds.
It was very, very important to really recognize both the
issues in terms of disaster preparedness and response but be
able to tailor that in particular to an older community and
understanding what their needs are.
Mr. Taylor, I just wanted to start with you. If you can
hear me, in your work with the California Governor's Office,
can you share about the importance of involving older Americans
and individuals with disabilities in our disaster planning? How
important is that? What was it from your own experience that
you can shed light on for the rest of us to consider?
Mr. Taylor. Absolutely. That's a great question, Senator.
Thank you, so, you really hit the nail on the head about the
need to involve not just older adults, but people with
disabilities in the way we plan, so, the emergency management
is bigger than any one group, organization, or agency. The fact
is that in order to help the whole community, we have to
include the whole community.
One of the practices that we see being most effective is
the development of what we call AFN Advisory Committees. These
are groups that have community-based organizations, advocacy
groups, community representatives that all come to the table to
plan with emergency managers.
Emergency managers can find out about how well do our
plans--when we're discussing things like communication,
sheltering, evacuation, response, or recovery--how well do
those actually meet the needs of the community? The perspective
is invaluable, in part because we're having a diversity of
lived experience.
I use a power wheelchair. Anytime I enter a room, I'm
scanning that room for access. Are there ramps, are there
stairs? Can I get around? Chances are, if you walk into that
same room, you probably aren't looking for those same things,
and that's okay. It's not that one's good and the other's bad.
It just means that, based on our individual lived experiences,
we each have a different perspective, and so, we can look at
the same thing and see it differently.
Bringing these Access and Functioning Advisory Committees
together with emergency managers makes sure that we end up with
a better product.
Senator Kim. These are advisory committees that would sit
down or meet with the emergency managers to be able to give
feedback into that, and then what is the loop back? You know,
like how does then information get back to the larger community
of seniors, people with disabilities? Because that's one of the
harder things I felt like we saw in terms of just getting that
information out there and best to be able to communicate. I
don't know if you have any best practices, Mr. Taylor?
Mr. Taylor. Absolutely. One of the challenges that
emergency managers have is we don't know everybody in the whole
community, but when we partner, let's say for example, with
Centers for Independent Living, that are serving individuals
with disabilities, when we partner with area agencies on aging
that are serving older adults, they're able to take these plans
that get developed and help make sure that water gets to the
end of the row. Because you can have the greatest plan, but if
the end user doesn't know how to utilize it, then it's a missed
opportunity for safety, security, and independence.
Senator Kim. No, that's right, and, one thing, I know my
time's running out, but you know, we had with FEMA before, they
provide courses on inclusive emergency management. We've seen
this both in person and online, and we've seen just over the
years, the in-person courses stopped and now the online
trainings have stopped.
I think that we should be revisiting some of these types of
tools available for people to understand how to put their
safety and security. First, how to be able to be connected in
and I think this Committee could potentially shine a light on
these different tools to be able to get the word out, and with
that, I'll yield back.
The Chairman. Thanks Senator Kim. Sheriff, how has your
personal experience, as well as the state's experience with
disasters made your department better equipped to prepare for
senior focused emergencies?
Mr. Nocco. Thank you, Senator. I believe with the
experience that we've had throughout the years, unfortunately
we've had a lot of hurricanes, a lot of issues where we had
emergency management, have to respond to these calls. I think
with our senior population, there's numerous things that we are
consistently--you know, it's a messaging through TV or through
the radio where we're constantly going out there.
I think one of the best things we do is we send our
deputies into neighborhoods. When you send your deputies into
the neighborhoods, and you start talking neighbor to neighbor
to say, hey guys, please get out of here. It's time to leave.
It gives them a personal perspective to understand, because I
get it, it takes a lot to have to evacuate.
There are misnomers of shelters. They all think it's
Katrina again. They think they're going to the Superdome, and
they believe that's what they're going into and they're fearful
of that. They don't want to go into that. It's not until it's
too late that they say we have to leave and get out of the
situation.
I think it's going out there personally, having deputies
just walk through the neighborhoods, talk to people, tell them,
hey, look, we have deputies at the shelters. This is where you
can go. That has been the greatest impact because we can get on
TV, we can say what we want, it doesn't matter. We can get on
the radios, we can say things, get those messages out there. It
doesn't matter. It's not until you're face to face with
somebody and you explain to them, and then you tell them the
stories of--let me explain to you, and I'll tell you, Senator,
a very quick story.
When that water in 2023, as it mentioned in the notes, the
water was flowing super high, it was coming up in this house.
It's one story, Florida house, and you've seen numerous of them
as we go through after the storm, the water was rushing up
super high. I'm going in there, it was us and fire rescue,
going house to house, knocking on doors, getting in there, and
there was a husband and wife, elderly couple, and then, you can
see the water rising over the kitchen table as we're in there
and we're like, we got to go. We got to get out of here.
They're like, well, I need my medicine, I need this and
then I need my cat. Where's the cat? There's a cat jumping on
top of the refrigerator over here. I mean, it's almost--if it
wasn't sad, it was almost comical seeing law enforcement and
firefighters trying to grab this animal. Because We knew they
would not leave without their pet and we were going to get them
out of there.
We finally get them out of there, but I tell you that story
and the fact that we tell those stories to people that do not
want to evacuate and say, look, you can stay where you are, and
you have that constitutional right and the God-given right to
stay in your house, but we are warning you if you stay in your
house, we may not be able to respond quick enough to save you.
The Chairman. Yes. Mrs. Pipa, what unique needs of older
Americans does the Red Cross prioritize during disaster
preparedness and response?
Ms. Pipa. Thank you for the question, Senator. There's a
couple of areas that we focus on. One, and I think we've hit on
this a couple times, is meeting the older Americans where they
are, and making sure that you have readily accessible and
easily consumable training to help them prepare themselves.
Unfortunately, in a lot of places, we find that folks are
not open to preparedness messaging until they've been impacted
by a disaster. They tend to be much more receptive to it after
that, which is an unfortunate circumstance, and so, we do want
to capture them and if we've had five hurricanes in Florida
over the last couple of years, it's important to then take that
opportunity.
The same point - it is sharing stories. It's helping folks
understand it's also older Americans teaching older Americans,
right? If I send a 23-year-old in to do a preparedness for
older Americans, I don't know that that's going to land as well
as if it's a fellow older American who speaks with authenticity
and credibility there, so that's a major part of it.
It's also really important that we know that there are
caregivers out there. We want to make sure that the caregivers
are well prepared, that they can take care of themselves and
they can take care of the patient in their charge.
Too often we see folks dropped off at American Red Cross
shelters that might have had home healthcare, but they're then
presented at a shelter and they don't have any of that support
that comes along with them, right? Making sure that we get them
connected back into their communities, but thinking about the
caregivers and the burden and the pressure that they feel as
well to take care of these older Americans if they have to
evacuate, thinking through that process and helping them plan
for that.
Then the most important thing is talking to older Americans
and asking them how they want to be prepared. How can we best
communicate this message? How do we get at the last 10 yards?
Sometimes it's brute force, it's door to door, convincing
people to take good preparedness actions. Sometimes it's
somebody sharing their own personal experience to help prepare
people so that they are not impacted in the same negative way.
The Chairman. Thank you. Ranking Member Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Mr. Vance Taylor, I've been
working on a Strategic Plan for Aging for a while in the last
Congress. My bill amends the Older Americans Act, to require
the Assistant Secretary for Aging to award grants to states,
Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to create or implement
strategic plans for aging and aging with a disability.
In 2024, it was reported that 10 states have a strategic
plan for aging. Six states have authorized a multi-sector plan
for aging. Twenty-one states are interested in or actively
planning multi-sector plans for aging. California's plan was
introduced in 2021, and California has the fourth largest
economy and has financial resources that other states do not
have.
Can you talk a little bit about how the California Plan for
Aging has helped ensure that disaster preparation considers the
needs of older adults and people with disabilities and
functional needs? Also, do you think that other states need
federal support to implement their own strategic plans for
aging since they don't necessarily have the same resources that
you do?
Mr. Taylor. Yes, absolutely, so, as you know, a core aim of
any master plan for aging is really to ensure that older adults
and people with disabilities can live independently in the
communities that they choose, but reaching that goal really
does require more than the traditional public health approach,
right? It demands a disaster preparedness strategy reflects
today's threat landscape.
California's master plan takes a whole community approach,
engaging state and local agencies alongside community
organizations to integrate safety and independence into
inclusive emergency planning at really every level. While
California provides a strong model, many states, to your point,
lack the resources, staffing, or technical capacity to follow
suit.
Without federal support, they simply cannot build or
implement strategic plans for aging that meet these critical
needs, so, every state has older adults, every state has people
with disabilities and every state faces disasters. This really
is about safety and dignity and independence, and it requires
sustained local and federal investment.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Can you talk a little bit
about some of the challenges for older Americans or people with
disabilities who have language access issues? One of our
challenges in New York State--where's the camera? Where should
I be looking when I'm addressing Mr. Taylor? Do we know? I feel
like I'm not looking at him, so, do we know where the camera
is?
Mr. Taylor. I see you, Senator.
Senator Gillibrand. Oh, I see where you are now. Good, so,
we had a lot of trouble during one of the natural disasters in
New York when there was massive flooding, and because we didn't
have enough communication in multiple languages, a lot of the
senior citizens died because they didn't evacuate from
basements where they were sleeping or they just didn't get out
in time. Just as you described Sheriff and how this happens.
I've advocated for the expansion of language access for the
wireless emergency alerts. Can you speak about the importance
of ensuring the alert systems are accessible to older adults
and people with disabilities and functional needs?
Mr. Taylor. Yes. That's huge, right? If you don't know
what's coming, then you can't run, you can't prepare, you can't
be safe. You can't be secure, so, we had one incident where,
it's the middle of the night, there's a wildfire, a big debate
about, hey, should the jurisdiction alert or not alert? They
don't want to create panic. They don't want to congest the
evacuation zone. Ultimately, they chose not to.
What got lost in that discussion was what the impact was
going to be for individuals in that jurisdiction who were deaf.
When deaf people go to sleep at night, they put their phone
under their pillow or on their body. That way, if an alert
comes in, it vibrates and they wake up, but the alert didn't go
out, so the phone didn't vibrate, and so they slept as fires
raged around them. For some of them, by the time family and
friends were able to reach out, it was tragically too late.
At the end of the day, this issue about accessible alerting
and formats and languages is about whether people live or die.
Whether they're safe or left behind. They have to know what's
coming or they don't have a chance.
Senator Gillibrand. Well, thank you Mr. Taylor. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. All right. Senator Warnock.
Senator Warnock. Thank you, Chair Scott, and Ranking Member
Gillibrand, for holding this important hearing. Ms. Pipa, I
want to start by thanking you for your service at the Red
Cross. In your roles with the Red Cross, is it your experience
that older adults face unique risks during disasters,
particularly related to evacuation, medical care, and
communication?
Ms. Pipa. Thank you for the question. Absolutely. Here's
what we see a lot of times. Folks tend to believe that they can
rely on their family that's local to help them as well. That is
not always the case. There have been experiences that I've had,
where I've visited an older American in a shelter and I've
asked him how he's doing, and he said he's okay. I said, well,
how's your family? Where is your family? Well, they're local
too? Well, were they impacted? They were, how come you're here
at the shelter and your family is not? They didn't have enough
room for him.
That's a heartbreaking situation, both for that older
American and for his family. They're all trying to recover, and
so, we know that older Americans look to their families, look
to their neighbors, look to their friends to help as well, and
they want to return back to the home that they came from, and
sometimes that's possible and unfortunately, sometimes that's
not.
When you're reliant on a standard schedule or a repeatable
day-to-day activity and a disaster takes that away from you, it
challenges you from a cognitive, from a physical standpoint,
and so, we see older Americans really struggle to make better
decisions after for their recovery, to put them in a place
where they can access the resources they need.
We all know that recovery is a long, long journey. It is
complex and there are lots of pieces to it. To be able to knit
that together for yourself and help yourself navigate through
that is something we see older Americans struggle with. That's
where we use our case work and our volunteers to walk alongside
them, to make sure that they've connected with their doctor and
gotten an emergency refill on their medication. If they had a
medical assistance device, how do we help them acquire that
again and get them back to the independent living that they so
desire at that moment in time?
Understanding that critically pairing them with medical
professionals that help make those decisions and help them
navigate that situation as well as our caseworkers is something
we do, and we're seeing it happen more and more and more, and
we're seeing more older Americans turn to us to help us
navigate that system, because their families sometimes cannot.
Senator Warnock. Given that experience, would you agree
that robust investment in disaster preparedness can make the
difference, maybe even between life and death, especially in
communities with aging populations?
Ms. Pipa. Absolutely. I think sometimes folks take for
granted that they can evacuate quickly. We have to be thinking
about older Americans, about access and functional needs, and
about what they need in terms of support to actually heed that
evacuation order when it comes or when it's a notice that they
have to evacuate quickly that they're able to, it's critical.
Senator Warnock. Yes. Well, hurricane Helene killed nearly
200 Americans, and I've fought so hard to secure over $600
million in federal funding for Georgians and their communities
to help us recover, rebuild, and better prepare for the next
storm. These storms are coming more frequent, they're getting
stronger and stronger.
That's why I'm so alarmed by this administration's plan to
gut FEMA and federal programs that help older Americans prepare
for disaster strikes. These aren't just budget choices, they're
in fact as your experience bears out, a matter of life and
death. Just last month, the Trump Administration canceled a $30
million flood reduction grant for my hometown of Savannah,
Georgia, that would've saved 180 million in post-disaster
recovery costs, but they killed the program or canceled a $30
million grant because they said it was too focused on the
climate, even as we see these storms get stronger and stronger.
That means senior citizens in Savannah, including my
mother, are now less protected from deadly floods just because
Donald Trump doesn't believe in climate change. Ms. Pipa, in
your experience at the Red Cross, when seniors are isolated
during a flooding disaster like the flooding Savannah was
trying to prevent before the Trump Administration canceled
their funding, how does that isolation amplify the unique risk
seniors already faced during a disaster?
Ms. Pipa. Seniors count on their social network and their
connectedness to their neighbors and their families, and if
that is torn away from them, and if they're left in isolation,
we do see them struggle. Simple day-to-day tasks like taking
your medication on time or things like that.
Even when they come to an American Red Cross shelter, we
see the same thing. We have disrupted their lives. They are not
prepared for what is coming, and this is absolutely critical
that we help position and educate these folks so that they are
the absolute best prepared and that their community members are
educated so that they can step in and help as well. Because it
doesn't just have to be the American Cross Red Cross. It has to
be all of our nonprofit partners who can step up to the table
to help.
Senator Warnock. Thank you for all of your work in disaster
preparedness and working with our seniors.
The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Warnock. Sheriff, Nocco,
what are the biggest challenges law enforcement faces when
evacuating or assisting older adults during a disaster?
Mr. Nocco. Thank you, Senator, so, the nice thing is
partnerships, especially at the local level. I will tell you;
fire rescue Pasco does a phenomenal job. If there's somebody
who cannot get on public transportation and public
transportation will go to people's houses.
When you're talking about emergency situations, you're
talking about preparedness, the local government is the heart
of where it happens at. We're blessed to have partners like the
Red Cross and everybody to come in, but your local government
is the one that really does it. Because we know the community,
we know what's going on, so, you know, when there's people that
want to be evacuated, fire rescue will go out there. Or if they
can walk and they can move on their own, then pass through
public transportation.
The thing for law enforcement is that we go into secure
neighborhoods. We'll make sure we're safe. Because that's the
other thing, especially we see that with our senior population,
they are so scared to leave because they think people are going
to break into their houses, and so that is something that, from
our standpoint, from law enforcement, you know, we start
shifting our deputies to start working what we refer to as
Alpha Bravo, which is 12-hour shifts, because we understand a
big part of evacuation is-a big part of leaving, is that peace
of mind. That peace of mind, that their house is going to be
safe.
Another great lesson learned is, especially in all our
populations, is to turn your power off when you leave that
house, but I can't stress enough, you know, we talk up here and
I appreciate from a federal standpoint, how can you help? The
biggest thing from us is that we emphasize that emergency
management starts at the local level.
We know where places are, we know where people need help,
and we can speak to them from a common language because we live
there, and I will tell you from an example of recovery of
search and rescue, where when you bring in federal partners,
they're great to have, but at the same time, they don't know
our community.
The National Guard was deploying on their vehicles, going
out to different areas, and we are telling them, you need us in
the trucks with you because if we don't ride with you, we can't
tell you where the low-lying areas are, where the flooding
areas are, so, I can't emphasize that enough.
As you talk about emergency management, as you talk about
federal assistance and federal help, and how can the Federal
Government assist us, it's by supporting the local government.
Because we know what we're doing. We've done enough and we know
our communities.
The Chairman. Can you give me an example of how local
partnerships, for example, churches or veterans groups or
community centers help protect seniors during the storm?
Mr. Nocco. Senator, that is a great point. When you talk
about the partnerships, especially with the faith-based
community, we always talk about the word trust. You know, they
trust a deputy, they trust us to go out there when we tell them
it's time to evacuate, they'll trust fire rescue. They'll
especially trust their church, the members of their church to
say, shelter here.
If we want to look into the future about where we can spend
federal resources, it's strengthening shelters, the schools,
but even the churches, because the churches can make great
shelters. They just need generators; they need hurricane impact
windows. They just need to be built up a little bit, but you
want to talk about that trust that they will say, I will leave
my house because I trust the law enforcement will protect it,
but I trust my church. I'm a part of my church.
You know what, they're going to get support. Because that
is a heartbreaking story when you hear that somebody's in a
shelter and their family lives down the street, but they're not
going to have them. Well, the other part of their family is
their church, and if they are there with their church or there
with their synagogue, they're there with people that they
trust, that's going to allow them to leave. Because it's almost
like a community meeting together, and they're going to support
each other, they're going to love on each other. They're going
to help each other through this disaster.
The Chairman. When we've opened up shelters in Florida, has
it been successful to have the National Guard there on top of
local law enforcement and the Red Cross and others?
Mr. Nocco. Yes, Senator. The more we can bring resources
into those shelters, the better off we are. The National Guard
is even more successful when they're deployed with us because
we put deputies into shelters. I will tell you; those shelters
turn into little cities. The Pasco school district does a great
job feeding them, housing them, law enforcement's there to
protect them. Fire Rescue started this program where they stay
in there too, so they have medical assistance, and when the Red
Cross and everybody's there to support them, it's great because
it, it builds that community, and so it's a great point.
The National Guard, we thank them for their services,
coming down to assist us when the storms occur. We love it when
they're more flexible because the--sometimes, and this becomes
a bureaucratic issue. They are on mission. If their mission
changes, it becomes a whole storyline to try to get them to
help you to do something because they have to change their
mission.
You talk about one of the things that beyond, and I know
it's not on this Committee, but this affects all of us in law
enforcement, fire rescue, emergency first responders. It's the
reimbursement policies from the Federal Government. FEMA
reimbursements, I will tell you, is a disaster, and that is an
issue that we consistently deal with and it goes back to the
local levels. How can you support us on a local level? It's
streamlining operations, getting that funding there quicker and
allowing us to help those shelters. Like you said, the more we
can make those shelters more desirable to go to, the better off
we are.
The one thing too is, I know people want to leave that
shelter immediately as soon as the storm's over. They can't--or
the wind's down, can we leave yet? We tell them, we got it, but
let us go back and make sure it's safe to go back to where you
came from.
The Chairman. Thank you. Ranking Member.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Pipa, you
know, we've heard a lot of stories about what happens during
the disaster, and I've met so many older New Yorkers who just
have lost everything. What do we do for them after they've lost
everything? How do we try to make sure they can have
independence if they've lost their home, as you've said, if
they've lost their church, as you've said, if they've lost
their animals, if they've lost their medicine or their license
or their credit cards? Like just existing without all the
things that keep you in your home and independent is very
difficult, what advice do you have for this Committee about
assuring these seniors can have independence after a disaster?
Ms. Pipa. Part of it is making sure that as you move from
that response to that recovery kind of continuum, is that there
is an infrastructure in place that can help support them and
move forward. We see folks present a lot of times at our
shelters. If the healthcare system has been compromised, it may
not be that they can't stay in their home, but access to
medical professionals and supplies and personnel is something
that drives them actually to show up in an American Red Cross
shelter, not that they can't stay in their home anymore.
As we move them through that continuum, and we help them
find their next step on that recovery journey, making sure that
they're reconnecting with the work and the folks that were
helping them beforehand, because they tend to get disconnected
and they have a hard time reconnecting with that person or that
entity to help continue to move them forward.
That could be social service entities, it could be faith-
based entities that help. It could be a local senior center
right, that they come to and they report to. We have to
understand the makeup and the fabric of that community and then
work with those specific entities, either local government or
nonprofit, to make sure that they're robust enough and they're
stable enough that they're ready to take care of those folks as
they continue to move forward.
We will take care of them and walk with them through their
response and recovery journey, but we're not experts in all
those fields. We have a well-defined mission. There's so much
more beyond that that these folks need. We need to make sure
that we are not leaving before that infrastructure is in place
so that they can continue their recovery. They don't slip
through the cracks as they continue their journey.
Senator Gillibrand. Have you ever used or heard of, for
either the Sheriff or Ms. Pipa, of before a disaster, asking
older Americans, or anyone frankly, to create a plan? Like, you
know, when you're about to deliver a baby, you pack a bag and
the bag has everything you're going to need for three days.
Do we ever tell older Americans or people with disabilities
"pack a bag, have it ready, have all your medicines in it, have
it all your phone numbers in it, pack your wallet, pack your
identification, pack your passport, or whatever IDs you have,
put them in a go bag by the door, so if there needs to be
evacuation, you're ready." Like, does that ever happen before a
hurricane or before big storms where they think there might be
flooding?
I mean, I've tried to help my parents, particularly my
father who's in Florida, who doesn't want to leave his home
before a hurricane. He wants to ride it out every time, and
obviously that creates enormous anxiety for his family who are
trying to get him to leave, but in those instances, when he
doesn't leave, is there a way to get them prepared before?
Ms. Pipa. That is my lived experience with both my in-laws
and my parents as well. They--and to the sheriff's point, it's
about even if their home is destroyed, they want to get back
afterwards to protect whatever might be recoverable. They just
want to understand.
I think for us, it's really important to make sure that
they've got that kit. For some folks, that's a financial
burden, right? If you're asking them to put three days of food
aside and water and excess medication, and so, what we also try
to do is kind of incrementally chunk it out to say, you don't
have to build your go bag today, but let's have a plan over the
next four months that helps you acquire the pieces of that bag
so that you're not experiencing that financial burden of
putting the go bag together.
The other thing we do a lot of nowadays, and I actually do
this myself and my go bag, is I have a list of things that
might expire, and so, they may not sit in my go bag, but that
list sits at the very top of my go bag, and that is the first
thing I look at to make sure I have to pull those items in and
put them in the bag.
Senator Gillibrand. You are super prepared. Sheriff, what
are your thoughts on that? Then Mr. Taylor, I'm going to ask
you the same questions.
Mr. Nocco. Thank you, Senator, so, it is a great point and
lessons learned throughout the storms, so, I understand that
many Americans have routines in their lives and especially as
they get older, the routines, that's what they live by, is my
routine, and so, to disrupt that routine, to say have a go bag
ready to go, may make them feel uncomfortable as we explain
them saying the needs for it, but we actually do that. It's a
great point because we do that before the storm.
The nice thing about hurricanes at least, is we usually get
several days? notice that they're coming, so that's what gives
us the ability to start saying things, and so, we say build
that go bag up, go to the pharmacy, the pharmacy will usually
give you the extra drugs because they understand that, you
know, during the storm, right after the storm, those
convenience stores, the drug stores may be down, so, we say, go
get your extra drugs.
The one thing which we often tell people and make sure you
do not forget, because they always will, and it's their
lifeline, is their charger. They'll remember their phone, but
they'll forget the charger, so, we say, make sure you bring
your charger, make sure you have several days of clothes. Make
sure you have those phone numbers.
The biggest thing that we also tell people is make sure you
tell your loved ones where they are. Such as in your case, you
know, having your father in Florida, you're out of state, is
that this is where I'm going to be. One thing that we face, and
I can imagine the shelters face this later on after we get the
calls, is they don't know where their loved ones are. They may
have gone to a shelter. Well then, the first thing they do is
they call for a welfare check.
They call the sheriff's office up, you know, during the
storm, right after the storm and say, I can't get ahold of my
loved one, where are they? Even if the winds are high, even if
we can't get out there, it's how we are and what we're built
of, to go out there into those worst-case scenarios to find
people, so, you're putting people lives, first responders lives
at risk by not telling them where you're going.
That's actually part of the kit that doesn't go into the
kit, but it's part of your planning process to tell people
where you are at all times. Because people are nervous, they're
stressed, they're out of state, and I can imagine they watch
the news, which makes them even more stressful, so that's part
of the go kit.
A hundred percent, it's one of those things where we're out
there pushing that message. Because I go back to stories where
water starts rising, we don't have time, and we just say, have
credit cards, cash medicine, and your charger, let's roll, and
then we take them out the door, and those are the situations
that make it better for first responders if people had those go
kits ready.
Senator Gillibrand. Mr. Taylor, if you could answer both
the questions. The first one was how do people with
disabilities and older Americans reestablish their independence
after a storm, what are the tried-and-true practices that
you've seen that work?
Then how do we engage our seniors to prepare better before
a storm? If they are being rescued in the middle of the storm
because the water's rising, they have the key things they need,
like their phone, their charger, their medicine, the phone
numbers they'll need to call someone.
Mr. Taylor. Yes, so, if we're talking about after a
disaster, how do they get their lives back together? I think we
have to look at the incredible role that partners like FEMA,
the ACL play in that capacity, right? Because it's when they go
to a disaster recovery center and they're able to apply for
those programs that are going to benefit their lives. Not just
in terms of things like perhaps rental assistance or other
needs assistance, but it's really their first major step to
getting into that recovery process and system, so that's
absolutely essential.
If we're looking at before the disaster strikes, then we're
going to look at things like training, right? Because you're
exactly right. People forget their chargers. You know what
charger they forget? Their wheelchair charger. I can't tell you
how many times I go to a shelter and people say, I don't have
my wheelchair charger, because of course they're leaving and
there's no time to think of everything, so, we have to engage
them beforehand, and that comes through training.
One of the things that we see, is when we train with the
whole community on these specific items, that message gets
socialized. Everybody does better, but not every jurisdiction
is well resourced, and so that's when things like grants,
especially from federal partners, play a really key role
because there are tried and true ways to empower older adults.
There are tried and true ways to empower individuals with
disabilities, but it oftentimes requires a certain level of
investment, that not all jurisdictions can bear on their own.
I think promoting those best practices is essential. I
think part of it is just having a bold goal, right. It's 2025,
so we're no longer going to accept that people are going to die
in their homes simply because they lack the capability or
capacity to run for help.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Mr. Vance Taylor, what tools or techniques or
technologies do you use to reach older adults who may not be
digitally connected?
Mr. Taylor. Yes, it's interesting when we talk about
technology, I would not traditionally consider myself to be an
older adult, but if you talk to my daughters, they will say,
based on my technology challenges, I'm absolutely in that
category. We have to understand that there's such thing as a
digital divide.
First off, not everybody has access to a smartphone and
internet and apps and everybody's ability to use those
effectively is going to be different as well, and so, in order
to make sure that we close that divide, we absolutely have to
meet people where they are.
A big part of that is working with community-based
organizations that serve older adults and serve people with
disabilities. Help them navigate these processes to put things
together in plain language, to develop not just online
trainings, which are great, but in-person deliveries as well.
To support the communities through everything from CERT-
type programs where we're conducting local trainings and
knocking on doors, and for example, FEMA, when there's a major
declaration, they'll actually go out and canvas neighborhoods,
right? They'll go out and they'll literally meet people where
they are to make sure that they get the information that they
need in order to be safe and secure and resilient.
We have to take a multi-pronged approach, and take as many
bites as we can on that same apple, in order to move the needle
in what I feel is a very meaningful way.
The Chairman. Thank you. Ms. Pipa, are there any Florida
specific initiatives or partnerships that Red Cross uses to
assist our state's large senior population?
Ms. Pipa. We're working directly in Florida with a couple
of different--I'm sorry, Senator, will you repeat the question
again for me?
The Chairman. Is there anything specifically you do with
our senior population in Florida that just--is our State any
different? Do you have anything that Red Cross is different in
Florida?
Ms. Pipa. Unfortunately, given that Florida's been visited
by several hurricanes over the last couple of years, we've had
the opportunity to refine some of ours and add some new pilots.
One of the pilots we just added post Hurricane Ian is we have a
program that allows us to install free smoke alarms in homes if
they need them, in order to save a life or prevent injury due
to house fires.
We know that the 10 minutes we get in that person's living
room is gold in terms of education, and while we want to
educate them on how to evacuate their home during a house fire,
because that's our most frequent disaster, we now combine that
with in-person education about the most likely disaster that
that family is going to experience, and in Florida, it's
disasters.
There's a special kind of, think of it as a curated piece
of that program that is specifically directed toward families
based on the type of disaster that they're most likely going to
have. We developed that as an outcome of some of the findings
we had in Florida with the feedback that we got from the
communities about how to better prepare, and now we're not only
using that there, but we're using that along all of our
hurricane states to help better prepare our families there.
The Chairman. Thanks. Ranking Member, do you have anything?
Senator Gillibrand. Do you want me to do my closing
statement or do you want more questions?
The Chairman. Yes, you can do yours and I'll do mine.
Senator Gillibrand. Well, I just want to thank you all for
this excellent testimony. We have a lot of work to do. I feel
like we have covered a huge amount of topics. I want to thank
you for the hearing, Chairman Scott. I think we learned about
the importance of inclusive disaster preparedness strategies
and how to improve outcomes for older adults and people with
disabilities.
We also discussed the importance of safeguarding federal
resources that allow states and localities to create and enact
robust and inclusive disaster response.
Our current trends cannot continue. We have to do better,
and I know we will do better, especially with the information
we gleaned from this hearing. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member. I want to thank
everybody for being here today. I want to thank our witnesses.
I look forward to working with our members across the aisle. If
any Senator has additional questions for the witnesses or
statements to be added, the hearing record will be open until
next Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. I want to thank everybody for being
here today, and this was very informative. Thanks.
[Whereupon, at 4:45 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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APPENDIX
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Prepared Witness Statements
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U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
Chris Nocco
My name is Chris Nocco and I have the distinct honor of
serving as the Sheriff of Pasco County, Florida, a county just
north of Tampa Bay on Florida's gulf with a population of
approximately 750,000, with 22% of that population being 65
years of age or older.
I would be remiss if I did not note today that I was first
appointed Sheriff in 2011 by your fantastic Chairman and
Florida's Senior Senator, Senator Rick Scott. Senator Scott,
when he was our Governor in Florida, guided our state through
unprecedented storms and hurricane seasons and the impact he
left on preparedness, execution, public private partnerships,
and emergency response is still saving lives and property in
Florida today.
I would also be remiss to not note the outstanding
partnership that we had when another one of your Committee
members, Senator Ashley Moody, was Florida's Attorney General.
Senator Moody was a leader in scam prevention, price gouging,
unlicensed contracting and other issues that impact all of our
citizens, but especially our senior population, as they both
prepare and recover from hurricanes.
With that, over the last year, our Pasco County community
faced, in short succession, the threat of Hurricanes Debby,
Helene and Milton. With more than 24 miles of coastline, Pasco
County has unique challenges from these storms, even though
none of them made direct landfall in Pasco County.
As Debby and Helene moved north through the Gulf of
America, within 100 miles of Pasco County's coast, storm surge
was pushed ashore, greatly impacting the more than 50,000
residents of Pasco County who live west of US19. This area of
our county is home to many seniors and has a direct impact on
them.
In the overnight hours of September 25 and September 26, as
Hurricane Helene moved north just off of our coastline, I
joined members of the Pasco Sheriff's Office and Pasco County
Fire Rescue as we conducted active water rescues. We were also
joined by the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard,
whose assistance was invaluable.
In those overnight hours, we were able to rescue more than
100 people from rapidly rising storm surge which ultimately
crested at near record levels. Anecdotally, we were told by the
National Guard that they had a vehicle rated for 18-feet of
water that was unable to pass any further after encountering
water in one of our neighborhoods.
I myself witnessed individuals who had climbed on roofs to
avoid the rapidly rising storm surge. In one instance, a
female, her small child and elderly relatives, had climbed to
the roof of their three-story multifamily housing unit and were
awaiting rescue.
This speaks directly to the need to follow local emergency
management officials and orders, such as evacuation, especially
for the most vulnerable amongst our community.
That is furthered by another example of a water rescue call
for service we received from a hurricane in 2023 and, when we
responded to the elderly couple with a boat to rescue them from
their rapidly flooding house, they were not prepared and still
needed to gather various medications and family pets.
We encourage everyone, if you do not heed local evacuation
orders, to be prepared to go when you do make that decision, or
you risk your life as well as the lives of first responders.
Waiting for preparation to occur with rapidly rising
floodwaters is not feasible for any party involved.
In these instances, our first priority is life safety and
rescue, as you can imagine, all resources we have become
involved in these rescue operations. Even with that, without
the support of the National Guard, Coast Guard, Florida State
Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, we would
not have been able to be as successful as we were with everyone
rescued and no lives lost.
The resources that the state and our partner federal
agencies, such as the National Guard and Coast Guard, can bring
with them to these disaster response situations is invaluable
for local governments, many of which, Pasco County included, do
not have the funding available to purchase these response
capabilities ourselves.
Hurricane Milton, which impacted our community in October
of last year, presented a different challenge. As Milton made
landfall south of Tampa Bay, we did not immediately see large
impacts. However, as Milton moved through the center of our
state in a northern direction, dropping rain on already
saturated rivers and other bodies of water, riverine flooding
became a significant issue.
Several days after Milton made landfall, and facing record
levels of flooding on several rivers in Pasco County, we were
again called in for water rescues as rivers began pouring out
of their banks into communities, especially in the Enclave
neighborhood in Wesley Chapel, in eastern Pasco County.
Again, without the assistance of our state and federal
partners, this rescue operation would not have been as
successful as it was.
Through the duration of all three of these storms, we,
along with state and federal partners, were able to respond to
more than 300 flooding related calls for service and rescue
more than 500 people from rising flood waters and storm surge.
However, it is my opinion that law enforcement and
emergency response must continue to advance and embrace rapidly
evolving technologies. Items such as drones provide invaluable
benefits to disaster preparedness, response and recovery while
also providing local governments with efficiencies.
For example, the Pasco Sheriff's Office is proud of the
partnerships we have established with both Axon and Skydio, two
companies leading the way in emerging technology for drones and
law enforcement. With drones, pre-storm and post-storm mapping
can be done in a matter of hours in a much more cost-efficient
manner than the old method of flying a helicopter.
In addition, with numerous drones, we can evaluate multiple
situations at the same time which allows us to make faster and
more accurate decisions to save lives.
Helicopters, by the sheer nature of their fuel consumption
and maintenance costs, are significantly more expensive to
operate than drones. As local governments are faced with tough
financial decisions, drones can be more beneficial and cost
effective when used for emergency preparedness and response,
especially when it comes to pre- and post-storm mapping and the
monitoring of flood waters.
A prime example of this occurred during the riverine
flooding caused by Hurricane Milton that I discussed just a bit
ago. Through drones, we were able to actively monitor river
gauges and levels upstream, which allowed us to relay this
information to communities downstream and warn them of what was
coming.
This information provided by drones allowed us to prepare
our community and, I believe, again, saved lives.
There will always be a need for helicopters for rescuing
individuals but the combination of our use of drones with our
aviation unit has proven invaluable.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the outstanding men
and women of the Pasco Sheriff's Office, the first responders
and medical personnel in Tampa Bay and the state of Florida,
along with the other agencies from across the country that came
in to assist. Make no mistake, when things are at their worst,
public safety in Florida is at its best.
With little sleep and in miserable conditions, they
persevere through numerous storms to ensure the safety of our
citizens.
To our citizens, their support and cooperation with public
safety is an understatement. We know that their safety is
paramount, along with providing them a sense of relief that
there are brave women and men prepared to protect them and
their families when times are catastrophic.
I also want to thank our own Pasco Sheriff's Office
volunteer units for their assistance and look forward to the
future as we continue to build out these units with more prior
military, law enforcement, fire rescue and other citizens who
have unique skill sets that will provide us with greater
capabilities to address emergency situations.
For the power company employees in the great state of
Florida and those that travel in, along with those in the
gasoline and diesel supply chain, thank you. They are unsung
heroes, but without them we cannot get back to the quality of
life that makes public safety's job that much easier.
And last, but most importantly, is our thanks to our
heavenly Lord, Jesus Christ. Through Him all things are
possible, and we pray and ask for His protection in this
upcoming hurricane season.
With that, I thank you for allowing me to present here
today and I look forward to your questions.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
Jennifer Pippa
Good afternoon, Chairman Scott, Ranking member Gillibrand
and distinguished members of the Committee. Thank you for the
privilege of testifying before you today on behalf of the
American Red Cross. We commend the Committee for holding this
much-needed hearing on the unique challenges facing older
Americans and how to help them prepare for disasters.
My name is Jennifer Pipa, and I serve as the vice president
of Disaster Programs for the American Red Cross. In this role,
I oversee our national preparedness, response, and recovery
programs.
Among the most significant challenges the American Red
Cross encounters in our disaster work is meeting the needs of
older Americans impacted by disasters. Nearly 20 percent of
Americans are in the 65-and-older age group, and the current
growth of the population ages 65 and older is unprecedented in
U.S. history. This increase in the population of older
Americans comes at a time when more frequent and costly
disasters are becoming the "new normal" in the United States.
The intersection of these trends an aging population and
significantly more disasters should concern all of us.
Recent research has found that older adults are more
vulnerable and experience more casualties after natural
disasters compared to other age groups. In 2020, members of the
American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council and the American
Academy of Nursing Policy Expert Round Table on Emergency/
Disaster Preparedness for Older Adults produced a report
entitled "Closing the Gaps: Advancing Disaster Preparedness,
Response and Recovery for Older Adults." Among other finding,
the report documents a growing demand for services among older
Americans due to the increased prevalence of chronic health
conditions, living in social isolation, and experiencing
declines in cognitive and physical functioning. It is
imperative that we continue to understand the growing needs of
our aging population and create services and programs to meet
older Americans where they are and help them to continue to
prepare for any disaster.
Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the New York Times
reported that nearly half of those who died because of the
storm were age 65 or older. Sadly, many of those who lost their
lives, drowned at home, or died from storm-related injuries.
The 2018 Camp Fire, which burned for 18 days in Paradise,
California, resulted in 85 deaths. Many of the victims were
elderly or had disabilities. The average age of those who died
was 72. In 2023, more than two-thirds of the 102 confirmed
victims of the 2023 Maui fires were over the age of 60. Last
year, Hurricane Helene caused at least 250 deaths in the United
States, with many being elderly individuals. The storm's impact
was particularly severe on older adults. In North Carolina, for
instance, two out of every three deaths from Hurricane Helene
were among adults aged 60 or older.
As part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the
American Red Cross is called to help communities prepare,
respond, and recover from disasters. We make a vital difference
for families and communities in the United States and around
the world who are coping with the impacts of disasters,
including more frequent and intense storms, heavier rainfall,
extended droughts, extreme heat, and devastating wildfires.
The American Red Cross works actively alongside partners at
all levels, including state and federal government, to execute
our mission of alleviating human suffering in the face of
emergencies. This includes our role in delivering national
response and preparedness programs across all 50 states and
territories, and our efforts every day within local
communities, to ensure those who need us the most are best
prepared.
Over the course of our nearly 145-year history, the
American Red Cross has adapted to meet the changing needs of
the people we serve, but the mission of the American Red Cross
continues to be driven by the mobilization of the power of
volunteers and through the generosity of our donors. Red Cross
volunteers and staff work to deliver vital services every day
across the country to help individuals, families, businesses,
and schools be better prepared for life s challenges. Each year
we respond to more than 60,000 disasters, a vast majority of
which are home fires, as well as the recurrence of the more
extreme-weather events such as wildfires, extreme heat,
hurricanes, and flooding. We also collect and distribute about
40 percent of the nation s blood supply; teach lifesaving
skills; and provide more than 240,000 services to veterans,
military members, and their families annually. Whether the need
is large or small, the American Red Cross will be there.
The increase in frequency, and impact from disasters is
challenging the American Red Cross to think differently around
the way we fulfill our mission. This challenge has created an
environment of opportunity to innovate and adapt the way we
deliver our existing services and programs. Our ability to
engage and empower communities before, during, and after
disasters is central to our success. One of the keys to that
success is community mobilization. At the American Red Cross,
we support communities and work alongside them to build
resilience by empowering community members to prepare for
disasters and support one another when disasters occur.
As we see a growth in the number of older Americans across
the United States, we need to understand that the effects that
disasters have on older Americans, do not end when the storm is
over. People over 65 make up nearly 10 percent of American Red
Cross emergency shelter populations after disaster evacuations
have lifted. Our responders often encounter elderly disaster
survivors living in badly damaged homes or in dwellings without
power and water. These survivors regularly express fear that
they will lose their homes and property if they leave, and, in
some cases, we encounter older survivors who have not been able
to manage the task associated with getting to a shelter or
finding safer temporary housing.
I have sadly experienced many disasters. However, one
experience in Fort Myers Florida has really stayed with me. In
the days after Hurricane Ian had made landfall, the American
Red Cross was out serving the communities by opening shelters,
providing hot meals, as well as care and comfort to the
thousands who had been impacted. I was driving around the Ft
Myers area delivering water and snacks to people who were
cleaning up and came across this wonderful elderly woman,
Jackie who was in her completely destroyed manufactured home,
searching through all of her personal items to find a few
irreplaceable items that she treasured. Jackie was a retired
home economics teacher who had moved from upstate NY to the Ft
Myers area with her husband when she retired.
Jackie and her husband had done everything right -- they
were monitoring the weather and listening to local and state
officials and following their directions. They knew that a
hurricane was coming, and they heeded the evacuation orders and
moved inland to make sure that both she and her husband would
remain safe, and they did not return to their home until they
were told it was safe to do so. When I spoke to Jackie, one of
the things she shared with me was that she was missing her
neighborhood friends and grieving the loss of one of her
neighbors who had chosen not to evacuate and had lost his life.
Jackie shared with me one of the most difficult things she
was struggling with was the loss of her social network, and the
likelihood of never seeing those neighbors that she cared for
so deeply. Jackie reminded me when we connected later that
week, that her life had immeasurably changed because of a
disaster. Every day Jackie is reminded she is a survivor of a
disaster by the simple little things that she used to take for
granted, things like going to the grocery store (it was
destroyed in the hurricane), stopping by the local branch of
her bank (again destroyed by the hurricane), and the most
important to her was finding a new doctor, after her current
doctor decided not to come back to Fort Myers to rebuild.
We know that individuals and families typically have better
outcomes when they have prepared for disasters before they
happen, and while Jackie was making great strides in her
recovery, she is an example that even the best prepared of us
may still struggle after a disaster. This is where the Red
Cross plays a vital role in ensuring individuals, families, and
communities are better prepared for what disasters they may
face.
We have numerous preparedness programs to help communities
become better prepared for disasters, including:
Be Red Cross Ready - a national, standardized, free
preparedness education curriculum for adults taught by a
certified presenter. Uses a whole community approach to
preparedness education, by providing safety information for
older adults and individuals with disabilities, access, or
functional needs. This aims to reduce the perceived barriers to
taking preparedness actions by focusing on a step-by-step
approach that is manageable, action-oriented, and affordable.
Home Fire Campaign Home Visits - through these
preparedness visits we serve all clients, but especially for
older adults there are recommendations to keep mobility
devices, hearing aids, medications, etc. nearby the sleeping
area to grab and go with egress from a fire, or suggestions to
move their master bedroom to the lower level of the home if
stairs pose a significant challenge. We also offer accessible
fire safety equipment (smoke alarms) for people who are deaf or
hard-of-hearing and people who lose upper registry hearing as
they age, so many older adults take advantage of this offering
within the program framework.
Caregivers Preparedness Checklist - people who care for
others have a unique role in preparing both themselves and the
ones they take care of. In collaboration with AARP, Red Cross
developed this checklist to help caregivers plan for and
respond to disasters and to ensure their family members are
supported during a disaster.
Building Your Support Network - the Red Cross recommends
that older adults create a personal network made up of multiple
individuals who will check in on them in an emergency, to
ensure their wellness and to provide assistance if needed. This
checklist contains a list of seven important items for folks to
consider.
Emergency App - the app uses three questions to provide
customized content to those individuals who state that they
have an older adult in their household for the hurricane and
wildfire planning sections.
In times of disaster, the American Red Cross stands as a
beacon of hope and strength, grounded in compassion and
service. From emergency response and recovery to blood services
and our support of the armed forces, our impact is both
immediate and enduring. We are equally committed to supporting
older Americans, providing reliable resources and assistance
when needed and offering meaningful ways to give back through
volunteer service.
More than 40 percent of our volunteers are over the age of
60. These individuals are not only helping their communities
prepare for and recover from disasters - they are leading the
way. Their service reflects the values of dedication,
responsibility, and neighborliness that strengthen our country
in times of crisis. Older Americans are not just recipients of
help; they are central to our ability to deliver it.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
L. Vance Taylor
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Members of the
Committee, my name is L. Vance Taylor.
It is an honor to be asked to testify at this hearing
today. I do so, not only as a subject matter expert in the
field of emergency management, but as someone who lives with a
disability and uses a power wheelchair.
We're in an era of increasingly frequent and severe
disasters. As the scope and devastation of these events grow,
it's critical to recognize that-while wildfires, earthquakes,
tornadoes, and hurricanes strike without regard for geography
or politics-they consistently and disproportionately impact
older adults and people with disabilities.
One reason why is because, well-intentioned emergency
managers who can walk, see, and hear have developed plans in
isolation, without input from the full spectrum of the
communities they serve.
As chief for the Office of Access and Functional Needs at
the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, I
activate in response to major disasters throughout the state.
While responding to one wildfire, I visited an emergency
shelter. There, I saw survivors on the worst day of their
lives. It was hot and muggy, and ash from the air clung to
their sweat, forming a thick grime on their skin.
Because the jurisdiction hadn't integrated the provision of
portable accessible showers, when older adults and people with
disabilities arrived, they couldn't bathe. I'll never forget
the look on their faces when I had to tell them that they had
no choice but sit in their own filth until we could bring in
the appropriate resources for them.
Experiences like these should serve as a call to action to
embrace inclusive planning.
As a best practice, forward-leaning emergency management
agencies are committing to end the practice of planning for the
community. Instead, they are choosing to plan with the
community.
A vital step is establishing state and local Access and
Functional Needs (AFN) Advisory Committees to ensure better
outcomes for the whole community.
Inclusive planning leads to press conferences that include
American Sign Language interpreters, the posting of critical
updates in accessible formats, the provision of accessible
evacuation resources, and shelters that are both physically and
programmatically accessible.
When the whole community is involved in planning, the
result is a system that sees, hears, and serves everyone. It is
also a system that literally saves lives.
California leads the nation in inclusive planning.
And yet, I'll be the first to say: the work is far from
done.
We have the resources to develop innovative best practices,
guidancedocuments, and training curricula-and we share them
freely with states across the country.
But as valuable as those tools are, when disaster strikes,
what communities truly need is sustained support from federal
partners like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
They need funding for the full range of federal resources
required to respond to and recover from large-scale events that
overwhelm local capacity.
Cutting or eliminating these agencies would have
devastating consequences- especially for older adults and
people with disabilities whose safety,independence, and
survival often hang in the balance.
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Members of the
Committee-you have an opportunity to affirm that the mission of
inclusive emergency management is one of the most human
responsibilities we share.
To show that Washington can be counted on to empower
emergency managers and the whole community to lift the hands
that hang down. To show up for one another. To reduce human
suffering and prevent needless loss of life among older adults
and individuals with disabilities.
Doing so is a reflection of who we are-not as Republicans
or Democrats, but as Americans.
And yes, it's a lift.
But you don't have to lift alone.
Federal agencies will lift with you. States across the
country will lift with you. I will lift with you.
And as we lift together, the communities we serve will
ascend.
Thank you.
=======================================================================
Questions for the Record
=======================================================================
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Questions for the Record
L. Vance Taylor
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Question:
Please discuss the barriers that older adults and people
with disabilities face when attempting to evacuate and also
discuss what solutions federal, state, and local governments
should consider to ensure their safety during disasters?
Response:
Older adults and people with disabilities continue to face
significant and often life-threatening barriers when attempting
to evacuate during disasters. These barriers are not
theoretical-they are real, recurring, and devastating.
During one wildfire, I received a call from an older woman
in tears. She and her husband, who uses a power wheelchair,
were trapped on the second floor of their apartment. The
elevator wasn't working, the fire was closing in, and 911 had
told them to "wait patiently"-because no accessible
transportation was available. She refused to leave her husband
behind. While speaking with her, I could hear propane tanks
exploding in the background as the flames approached their
building.
I rushed to coordinate a rescue with law enforcement, and
then I waited. Time crawled. Finally, she called back-this time
crying tears of relief. "They got us," she said. "Police
officers carried my husband down the stairs. We're in a squad
car. The apartment is engulfed in flames, but we made it."
As grateful as I was that the call ended well-it never
should have come to that.
It's time for jurisdictions to move from intention to
execution-by implementing specific, inclusive evacuation
strategies that truly serve older adults and individuals with
disabilities. The following best practices offer a clear
roadmap for building inclusive evacuation systems that provide
effective operational support when it matters most:
Utilize an Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Advisory
Committee. These committees play a critical role in broadening,
enhancing, and validating evacuation and transportation
strategies. They provide direct input from disability and aging
communities, ensuring that plans are shaped by lived
experience, not assumptions.
Develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for
Accessible Transportation. In partnership with the AFN Advisory
Committee, every jurisdiction should have a clearly defined SOP
that outlines how individuals with access and functional needs
can request and receive accessible transportation before,
during, and after disasters. This SOP should be widely
disseminated and regularly tested to ensure usability.
Maintain a central list of transportation agreements.
Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) should maintain an up-to-
date inventory of all transportation and evacuation agreements
with providers and vendors. This list should be immediately
accessible to operations staff and used to activate resources
in real time.
Establish formal, signed agreements with accessible
transportation providers. These agreements should exist not
only within the jurisdiction, but also with surrounding
jurisdictions to enable resource sharing during large-scale
evacuations. Critically, these agreements should contain
provisions to provide on-demand, 24/7 availability and services
at no cost to evacuees. Anything less risks delay-and in an
emergency, delay can be deadly.
Inclusive evacuation planning saves lives, strengthens
community trust, and ensures that no one is left behind simply
because they move, communicate, or experience the world
differently.
Question:
Can you discuss the need for communities to bolster their
infrastructure against future disasters? What impact will the
loss of BRIC grants have on local communities, including older
adults?
Response:
FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
(BRIC) program is one of the most powerful and forward-thinking
tools available to local governments working to strengthen
infrastructure before disasters strike.
Whether it's elevating flood-prone roadways, retrofitting
emergency shelters, upgrading stormwater systems, or hardening
electrical substations-BRIC enables communities to build
smarter, stronger, and safer. These are essential investments
in the safety and stability of our most vulnerable residents.
For older adults and individuals with disabilities,
infrastructure isn't just about convenience-it's about
survival. They rely on functioning roads to reach dialysis
clinics, on uninterrupted power to run ventilators and charge
wheelchairs, and on accessible shelters when evacuations are
necessary. When those systems fail, it's these community
members who suffer first and most. The loss of BRIC funding
would eliminate a viable path jurisdictions have to make
infrastructure improvements that directly protect lives,
especially for those who depend on it every day.
The need for proactive infrastructure mitigation has never
been more urgent. Disasters are intensifying in frequency and
severity, placing increased strain on already aging and
underfunded systems. Across the country, communities are
confronting rising seas, more intense wildfires, prolonged heat
waves, and devastating storms-all of which endanger the systems
people count on for safety and daily living.
Without BRIC, under-resourced communities will be left
without realistic options to fund large-scale mitigation
projects. That vacuum would inevitably lead to greater human
suffering, longer recovery times, and increased federal
disaster spending.
Mitigation doesn't just save lives-it saves money. Every
dollar invested today reduces the need for multiple dollars in
recovery tomorrow. BRIC funding ensures that local governments
aren't forced to choose between acting responsibly and acting
affordably.
Losing BRIC would mean stepping backward-at the exact
moment we need to be moving forward.
Now is the time to double down on inclusion, resilience,
and preparedness-not retreat from it. Protecting and expanding
BRIC is not just sound public policy-it's a moral and fiscal
imperative.
Question:
Can you speak to how the dismantling of the Administration
for Community Living and eliminating States' Long-term Care
Ombudsman Program will harm people with access and functional
needs during disaster situations?
Response:
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) plays a vital
and irreplaceable role in ensuring that older adults and people
with disabilities are not just cared for-but included-in their
communities and in emergency planning efforts at every level of
government.
Dismantling the ACL would mean losing a key federal partner
specifically tasked with advancing cross-agency coordination
and inclusive disaster planning. That coordination is a
lifeline. In disaster situations, it can literally mean the
difference between life and death.
The ACL serves as a critical link between emergency
management systems and the aging and disability networks that
possess the trust, credibility, and community reach needed to
effectively engage older adults and individuals with
disabilities-populations most at risk during disasters. Their
work helps ensure that evacuation plans account for mobility
needs, that communication strategies are accessible, and that
recovery services are designed to reach people who might
otherwise be left behind.
Equally devastating would be the elimination of the State
Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Ombudsmen are consistent,
independent advocates for residents in nursing homes and
assisted living facilities. They play a critical role in
disaster preparedness and response by:
Identifying gaps in facility emergency plans;
Ensuring residents understand their rights and options
during a crisis;
Advocating for essential needs during evacuations or
shelter-in-place orders;
Providing oversight when family and community access is
restricted, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without ombudsmen, residents in long-term care settings-
many of whom have significant access and functional needs-would
be left without a voice, without oversight, and without a
safety net when disaster strikes.
Dismantling the very programs designed to protect those
most vulnerable to negative outcomes in emergencies would not
only weaken our disaster response systems-it would actively
place lives at greater risk.
To build inclusive, resilient communities, we must preserve
and strengthen-not eliminate-the structures that safeguard
coordination and care in times of crisis.
Question:
Can you speak about how cuts to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's funding and staff will hamper disaster
preparedness and recovery efforts as well as the debilitating
effect that eliminating FEMA entirely would have on those same
efforts?
Response:
I want to clarify that I'm responding in my capacity as a
subject matter expert in emergency management-not on behalf of
any government agency.
FEMA is the backbone of federal disaster preparedness,
response, and recovery. Dismantling the agency-or significantly
reducing its workforce and funding-is dangerous, particularly
for underrepresented communities, which include older adults,
and people with disabilities.
FEMA plays a central role in coordinating federal
assistance, deploying resources, supporting local and state
governments, and ensuring communities have the tools and
guidance they need before, during, and after disasters. Without
FEMA's leadership, local and state disaster response efforts
would collapse under the weight of complexity and insufficient
resources.
The agency is already under strain. With layoffs and
voluntary buyouts underway, FEMA enters this hurricane and
wildfire season significantly understaffed and overstretched.
These cuts come at a time when disasters are becoming more
frequent, more severe, and more expensive.
Until January, I served on the President's National
Infrastructure Advisory Council. In December 2024, the Council
unanimously approved a report that made it clear: FEMA needs
more support, not less. The report called for increased
funding, workforce stabilization, and enhanced cross-government
coordination. These weren't abstract recommendations-they were
urgent warnings based on the realities emergency professionals
are facing in the field.
The consequences of ignoring these warnings will fall
hardest on those who are already most vulnerable: older adults,
people with disabilities, low-income families, and underserved
communities.
When FEMA is weakened, the burden shifts to local systems
that are often under resourced for catastrophic events. That
shift results in slower response times, longer recoveries, and
more lives lost.
This is not the time to weaken FEMA. It is the time to
reinforce it-so that when the next disaster strikes, we're
ready to respond with speed, strength, and inclusivity.
Question:
Given the role of NOAA's National Weather Service in
weather forecasting, can you speak about how the Trump
Administration's cuts to this Agency will harm disaster
preparedness efforts?
Response:
Accurate, timely forecasting is a key element of effective
disaster preparedness-and that foundation begins with NOAA's
National Weather Service (NWS). The data, models, and alerts
produced by the NWS inform major decisions emergency managers
make: when to issue evacuation orders, where to open shelters,
the most effective places to pre-position resources, and how to
keep the public safe.
Weakening that system through funding cuts is a direct
threat to public safety.
States and local jurisdictions depend on NOAA's forecasts
to time emergency declarations and deploy resources. Without
that critical lead time, communities have fewer options and far
less time to act. For people with access and functional needs-
such as individuals who rely on accessible transportation,
powered medical equipment, or in-home caregiving services-
losing even a few hours of notice can mean the difference
between safe evacuation and life-threatening delay.
Older adults and people with disabilities often need more
time and support to take protective action. Shrinking the
warning window decreases their chances of reaching safety in
time.
Cuts to NOAA don't just reduce the accuracy of forecasts-
they compromise the entire chain of preparedness. You can't
prepare for what you can't see coming, and gutting the Weather
Service is like turning off the headlights just before a sharp
curve in the road. We're not just dimming our vision-we're
increasing the risk of a deadly crash.
Preserving and strengthening NOAA's National Weather
Service is an investment in readiness and lives saved.
Question:
Can you speak about the importance of the Social Services
Block Grant to older adults and people with disabilities and
include examples of how eliminating this funding will impact
States' ability to respond to, and recover from, disasters?
Response:
The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) is a lifeline for
older adults and people with disabilities, particularly in
times of disaster.
When emergencies strike, vulnerable populations often face
unique and urgent challenges: disrupted access to caregiving
services, communication barriers, and the need for accessible
sheltering and transportation. SSBG allows states to meet these
needs in real time. Its flexibility, speed, and broad
eligibility make it an effective tool for addressing the human
side of disaster response.
Unlike many federal disaster programs, SSBG is available
year-round and can be deployed immediately, without red tape.
That agility is critical when minutes matter and bureaucratic
delays can cost lives.
States have used SSBG funding in powerful, practical ways,
including:
Relocating survivors with mobility-related disabilities;
Deploying personal care attendants in shelters to
support older adults and individuals with disabilities;
Providing accessible communication tools to help the
whole community understand evolving emergency information;
Supporting in-home services that keep older adults and
people with disabilities safe when transportation and
infrastructure are compromised.
Eliminating this funding would strip states of a critical,
adaptive resource-and force them to rely on programs that are
slower, more rigid, and often not designed to meet the diverse
needs of people with access and functional considerations.
Without SSBG, older adults and individuals with
disabilities will be left without the services they need to
stay safe, secure, and healthy in the face of disasters.
Question:
Is there anything related to this hearing topic that was
not discussed that you think Congress should consider?
Response:
An impactful step Congress can support is encouraging every
state to create an Office of Access and Functional Needs (OAFN)
with a clear and focused mission: to identify the needs of
individuals with access and functional needs before, during,
and after disasters-and to integrate those needs into all
aspects of emergency management. An OAFN should operate with
dedicated executive-level leadership and the authority to
influence state-level planning, training, operations, and
policy.
Through this model, California has been able to:
Embed disability integration across all phases of
emergency management;
Develop nationally recognized guidance and best
practices;
Provide technical assistance and training to thousands
of local and state officials;
Build durable partnerships with disability and aging
advocates;
Respond to real-time disasters with dedicated, AFN-
specific knowledgeable.
Without centralized leadership and accountability,
inclusive planning efforts often become fragmented,
inconsistent, or entirely absent. Vulnerable populations are
left relying on individual champions rather than system-wide
safeguards.
Establishing an Office of Access and Functional Needs in
every state would foster consistent collaboration between state
and federal partners and ensure local jurisdictions have a
clear point of contact for guidance and support.
Congress can play a critical role in advancing this
recommendation by:
Providing technical assistance and funding incentives
for states to establish an OAFN;
Creating national guidance or minimum standards for
these offices;
Encouraging FEMA and other federal agencies to
coordinate with state-level OAFN leads.
By institutionalizing this work at the state level,
Congress can help ensure it becomes a standard part of how
emergency managers plan, train, respond, and recover-every
time, everywhere.
=======================================================================
Statements for the Record
=======================================================================
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
AARP Statement
AARP, which advocates for the more than 100 million
Americans age 50 and older, appreciates the opportunity to
comment for the record on the Senate Special Committee on
Aging's hearing to discuss the unique disaster preparedness
needs of older adults.
Tragically, older adults represent a disproportionate share
of the fatalities in disasters. Older adults often have
conditions that make them especially vulnerable during natural
disasters, such as chronic illnesses, functional and mobility
limitations, or disabilities. In addition, they may be socially
isolated, and lack both access to transportation and the
financial means to prepare for disasters or relocate.
Disasters are increasing in number and severity, and no
region of the country is exempt from disastrous weather events.
The impacts on older adults are clear. Nearly three-quarters of
the victims in the Lahaina fire were over the age of 60.
Similarly, approximately three-quarters of those killed in
Hurricane Ian were age 65 and over and 60 percent of deaths in
the Texas winter storm were persons age 60 and over.
These tragic outcomes are not inevitable. Agencies and
communities that possess a clear understanding of the unique
needs of older adults in disaster events, including an
understanding of the impact of extreme weather on the health
and well-being of older adults, are better equipped to keep
them safe.
For several years, AARP has worked through our state
offices to promote a better understanding of older adults and
their needs related to disasters and to educate older adults
and their families in the hopes of creating truly age-friendly,
resilient communities. Towards this end, we released a
publication that provides guidance to local and state leaders
on developing strategies to reduce risk and the impacts of
disasters on older adults. The AARP Disaster Resilience Tool
Kit, developed together with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), explores the unique needs of older adults when
disaster strikes. In addition to the toolkit, AARP has also
provided comments on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services' proposed regulations regarding emergency preparedness
and nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid.
Greater collaboration and establishing clear lines of
communication in advance of a disaster is key to protecting the
health and safety of vulnerable populations. It is essential to
make the right connections and build relationships across the
fields of emergency managers and advocates for older adults -
particularly given that they tend to operate with a distinct
set of terminology and language that can impede mutual
understanding. It is also critical that localities know where
older adults reside, and which communications means are most
effective, including low-tech options, to ensure that people
get timely updates and news. Further, the perspectives of all
affected populations is essential in disaster planning.
Recommendations
The challenges to preserving the safety and well-being of
older adults when disasters occur are great. The solutions must
be multi-pronged. AARP urges the following specific actions:
FEMA should take a leadership role with states and
localities in planning for and mitigating potential natural
hazards with comprehensive disaster plans. This planning should
specifically address the needs of older adults, people with
disabilities, and their caregivers, in different settings.
should also involve these individuals in the development of the
plans. Efforts should include disaster-resistant building
codes, design regulations, and infrastructure plans and
preventing development in high-risk zones.
The federal government should also take a leadership
role in working with states and localities to regularly plan,
execute, and evaluate outreach and education activities to
equip all residents to shelter in place or evacuate safely.
This includes older adults, people with disabilities, people of
color, people who do not speak English, low-income persons, and
other difficult-to-reach populations.
FEMA should have specific and detailed protocols that
address the needs of older adults and vulnerable populations in
disasters. FEMA should study the breakdowns in assistance that
occurred in previous disasters and use these lessons to guide
the development of new emergency response protocols.
The federal government should engage in post-disaster
recovery efforts that reach all populations, including older
adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers. This
includes providing technology infrastructure that enables rapid
communications and easy, transparent access to necessary
information. Disaster relief assistance and funding should be
distributed equitably, fairly, and expeditiously.
Evacuation orders should specifically address the needs
of older adults, people with disabilities, and their
caregivers, as well as others who may need to remain in the
community due to special medical needs or other reasons. These
orders should be backed by pragmatic evacuation plans that
provide sufficient shelter space, including special needs
shelters.
Rebuilding and recovery efforts at all levels of
government should promote livability and resilience by
encouraging:
a diverse housing supply;
a wide range of mobility options;
access to safe, accessible, and sustainable public
spaces; and
proximity to necessary services.
Federal and state licensing standards should require
that nursing facilities and assisted living/residential care
facilities have well-developed, feasible, and practiced
emergency plans for residents, as well as adequate numbers of
well-trained staff to carry out such plans.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide AARP's views on
this vital issue. We look forward to working with you to ensure
the safety of older adults in all disaster events.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
AFGE Statement
On behalf of the American Federation of Government
Employees, AFL-CIO which represents over 800,000 federal and
D.C. government employees including employees who work at the
Federal Emergency Management Agency I write to express deep
concern for the recent attacks on FEMA employees including the
terminations and attacks on federal employee benefits and
rights.
The Trump Administration has engaged in illegal,
indiscriminate, and unfair terminations of FEMA employees which
will make it more difficult for the agency to achieve the
mission of protecting Americans from national disasters. Many
of these employees had significant institutional knowledge and
many were veterans. The defamatory justification that these
employees were not performing up to par with their performance
plan is simply untrue. No employees who were terminated had any
documented poor performance. There was no communication or
collaboration with the union nor any coordination to determine
what positions needed to be dissolved for efficiency.
These firings create significant issues for FEMA employees'
ability to deliver response and recovery services to the
American public. Put simply, people will suffer because of
these indiscriminate firings of FEMA workers as it will
directly impact overall response recovery mitigation and
national preparedness. Every part of FEMA will be impacted
including response and operations. FEMA employees who deliver
critical services to Americans in the midst of disaster
including water, power, food, shelter, energy, transportation
and communication. FEMA workers are a lifeline in times of
crisis. They work to minimize the impacts of disaster and
stabilize communities in times of need. They work to bring
communities back to normal.We cannot support any termination of
probationary employees. We cannot support the termination of
our Cadre on Call Response Employees (CORE) who were hired
under the Stafford Act.
Disaster roles are critical to ensure the safety, security
and well-being of the American public. A total of 186 employees
have been fired. FEMA employees save lives and communities and,
AFGE strongly urges the Committee to uplift AFGE's cry to
immediately halt any further termination of any FEMA employees.
AFGE continues to be concerned that communities are going to
fail, and more people could die if Congress and the
Administration does not prioritize the hiring, staffing and
immediate halt of terminations of FEMA employees.
The agency must collaborate with the union to ensure
employees have comprehensive access to information to be able
to adequately perform the mission of the agency. FEMA cannot be
more efficient in delivering services to the American public if
the Administration continues to create a culture of fear,
uncertainty and shattered morale among employees. Both
probationary and Article two employees have been fired which is
deeply concerning because these employees are simply performing
the mission of the agency ensuring disaster victims receive the
services, they need to continue their lives as they recover.
These arbitrary and unjust firings of GS-9 low level grants
managers and employees does notimprove efficiency in FEMA; it
simply creates more barriers to FEMA being able to
successfullyperform the mission of the agency. These employees
were not masterminds of illegal moneymanipulation. They were
administering Congressionally approved grant money, adjudicated
bythe City of New York.
The Federal workforce is made up of 30% veterans, FEMA
included. These veterans served ourcountry though the terrible
horrors of war and conflict around the world. They go to sleep
atnight dreading the dream of those conflicts. Now, they wake
up not as the heroes they are, but asthe Federal workforce
villains they are perceived to be. They fought, literally, for
their educationand they fought, literally, for their Federal
Civil Service positions. They went to war with thepromise of a
better life afterwards. That promise has disappeared as they
lose their jobs in theseindiscriminate firings. This Union,
this Agency, this Nation owes them better.
Both the Union and the Agency have the same mission - to
save lives and communities. Wework together to ensure that our
functions are staffed, trained and equipped. Now we face
thisgreat distraction and a threat to our critical mission in
staffing, resourcing and training shortfalls.We are caught in a
self-defeating cycle. The less resources we have, the more our
mission fails.The more our mission fails, the more resources
are taken away. The more our mission fails, andso on.
FEMA and AFGE 4060 count our successes in American lives
saved and communities restored.The American people need this
Agency to succeed. This Union needs this Agency to succeed.
Inorder to do that, we need our workforce to be fully staffed,
trained, equipped, and capable offocusing on our mission.
We look forward to your responses and look forward to
continuing to work with you to ensurethe efficiency and
productivity and success of FEMA. For questions or more
information please contact Fiona Kohrman.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Alliance for Home Dialysis Statement
The Alliance for Home Dialysis appreciates the opportunity
to contribute a statement for the record in connection with the
Senate Special Committee on Aging's hearing: Preparing for
Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans. We are
encouraged by the Special Committee's interest in this
important issue, which is a top concern for patients with End-
Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), especially those on home dialysis.
The Alliance is a coalition of kidney dialysis stakeholders
representing individuals with kidney failure, clinicians,
providers, and industry. We have come together to promote and
advance policies to facilitate treatment choices in dialysis
care while addressing systemic barriers that limit access for
individuals with kidney failure and their families to the many
bene.ts of home dialysis. We believe that every patient-
regardless of age-should be given the opportunity to pursue
home dialysis if that is what they have decided alongside their
care team.
About 815,000 Americans are currently living with kidney
failure, and about 555,000 are on dialysis, whether in a
dialysis center or on a home dialysis modality.\1\ Kidney
disease falls within the top ten causes of death in US.
According to the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), ESRD
incidence is significantly higher among older age groups,
particularly those aged 65 and older. In addition, the data
shows that incidence of comorbidities like diabetes, heart
disease, and other diseases, also rise with age.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.kidneyfund.org/all-about-kidneys/quick-kidney-
disease-facts-and-stats
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home dialysis is an increasingly valuable treatment option
for many older Americans. According to the USRDS, the rate of
new home dialysis patients aged 75+ almost doubled over the
last decade from 6.1% to 11.6%- a significant leap. While some
potentially age-related factors like cognitive decline and
frailty can impact whether a patient is suited for home
dialysis, the benefits of home modalities are often striking
and include reduced travel burden to the clinic, performing
sessions in a familiar and calm environment, better health
outcomes, and increased freedom to pursue social activities,
hobbies, and retain independence. Further, prescriptions can
often be tailored to be more appropriate for older adults or
options for assisted dialysis or care partners can be
explored.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9972827/#bib3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performing home dialysis requires specific medical
supplies, like dialysis fluid, needles, tubing, and a dialysis
machine, which are delivered to the patient's home at set
intervals. In addition, home dialysis requires access to safe
water, electricity, and ideally, the internet to allow for
contact with the care team. Natural disasters can impede access
to all of these things and negatively impact a patient's
ability to perform their treatment. Sometimes this means
patients have to go in-center to perform dialysis during the
time of the disaster; other times, this is not even an option
due to impossibilities in travel, challenges due to
evacuations, and more.
In fact, during last year's Hurricane Helene, Baxter, a
major manufacturer of both IV and dialysis solutions (and
Alliance member) was significantly impacted by flooding. The
factory was ultimately closed for a number of days. While
Baxter moved quickly to get production lines back up and
running, immediately collaborated with FDA and other agencies,
and took other action to address the devastating damage, this
experience serves as a good reminder that disasters are
unpredictable, can directly impact patients, and must be
prepared for as best as possible.
We also want to share specific insights with you from home
dialysis patients who have been impacted by natural disasters:
Martine from California explained to us that she
experienced a time when her local drinking water was unsafe to
use. Due to this, she had to switch the type of fluid bags that
she used for her treatments. When the water became safe again,
she had a very difficult time switching back to her preferred
supply option and received thousands of the incorrect item to
her home.
Shameka from Florida told us that she has lived through
two hurricanes performing home dialysis with both flooding and
a loss of power. No one could get to her neighborhood to
deliver her home dialysis supplies and she was even forced to
go in-center for treatment.
Pedro from South Carolina said that he has been impacted
by the saline shortage due to Hurricane Helene and has also had
a difficult time accessing needles.
Thankfully, there are options to address many of these
challenges, and Congress is in a position to do so. One major
item would be federally incentivized programs to increase
buffer stock, or an inventory surplus of key home dialysis
supplies that manufacturers or retailers would keep on hand to
meet unexpected need during emergencies. Buffer stock can meet
critical gaps during supply chain disruptions and provide a
lifeline for patients who want to continue their treatments as
prescribed.
In addition, the Alliance is supportive of vendor managed
inventory contracts between suppliers and the federal
government, which would help manufacturers respond immediately
to natural disasters and ensure that access to critical
supplies is not disrupted. Because it is difficult to
physically stockpile fluids and other necessary home dialysis
supplies, due to expiration dates, these contracting
arrangements can be particularly helpful as they allow
suppliers to ramp up production to meet agreed upon targets at
exactly the right time.
We commend your commitment to safeguarding the health and
dignity of older Americans, particularly in times of crisis.
The Alliance for Home Dialysis stands ready to collaborate with
the Aging Committee to advance policies that prioritize the
needs of all patients, but especially older Americans, with
kidney disease.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Impact Movement Statement
The Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer's Impact Movement
(AIM) appreciate the opportunity to submit this statement for
the record for the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older
Americans." The Association and AIM thank the Committee for its
continued leadership on issues important to the millions of
people living with Alzheimer's and other dementia and their
caregivers. Among other issues, this statement highlights
strategies to ensure individuals living with Alzheimer's
disease and other dementia are adequately supported before,
during, and after public health emergencies.
Founded in 1980, the Alzheimer's Association is the world's
leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care,
support, and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's
and other dementia through the advancement of research; to
provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to
reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain
health. The Alzheimer's Impact Movement is the Association's
separately incorporated advocacy affiliate, working in
strategic partnership to make Alzheimer's a national priority.
Together, the Alzheimer's Association and AIM advocate for
policies to fight Alzheimer's disease, including increased
investment in research, improved care and support, and the
development of approaches to reduce the risk of developing
dementia.
Over seven million Americans aged 65 and older are living
with Alzheimer's dementia in 2025. Total payments for all
individuals with Alzheimer's or other dementias are estimated
at $384 billion in 2025 (not including unpaid caregiving).
Medicare and Medicaid are expected to cover $246 billion - or
64 percent - while out-of-pocket spending is projected to reach
$97 billion. Total payments for health care, long-term care,
and hospice for people living with dementia are projected to
rise to nearly $1 trillion by 2050. These mounting costs
threaten to bankrupt families, businesses, and the health care
system. Unfortunately, our work is only growing more urgent.
Improved Response Coordination
People living with Alzheimer's and other dementias are
uniquely vulnerable during disasters and public health
emergencies. While there is a need for greater coordination
between federal, state, and local officials, there must also be
clear lines of responsibility between these offices during
public health emergencies. Congress must clarify who is in
charge, and these roles and responsibilities must be clearly
communicated to states and local governments so they can
include this information in their own preparedness planning.
The Alzheimer's Association and AIM recommend that each
state designate one specific point person on long-term care
issues to liaise with the federal government in times of
crisis. Oversight for separate long-term care settings falls to
different federal and state agencies, which can make it
difficult to coordinate efficiently during a public health
emergency. If states were to establish one long-term care point
person in charge of communicating with the federal government
during times of crisis, it would lead to a more coordinated,
tailored response in long-term care communities.
Improved federal and state response coordination would also
help ensure sufficient stockpiling and equitable distribution
chains of essential testing, personal protective equipment, and
vaccines, when available. These supplies and distribution
chains should also include caregivers and home- and community-
based care providers.
Public Health Preparedness and Response
Public health professionals play a critical role in
minimizing the negative impacts of public health emergencies.
Public health officials are able to tailor the federal, state,
and local response to address the special vulnerabilities of
people living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. During a
pandemic, this not only saves lives but also protects the
larger community and may reduce strain on health care systems.
The Alzheimer's Association and AIM recommend that each
state public health department have an internal expert with
deep knowledge of the unique needs of people living with
Alzheimer's and other dementia. The lack of a senior career
staff director with expertise in Alzheimer's and other dementia
in many state public health departments affected the ability of
those departments to effectively tailor the COVID-19 emergency
response for those with cognitive impairment.
To help ensure that local and state preparedness and
response plans address the particular vulnerabilities of people
living with dementia, public health agencies must elicit
insights from people living with dementia, caregivers, and
experts on cognitive impairment. Emergency responders and
shelter staff would also greatly benefit from specific training
about the signs and symptoms of dementia and other cognitive
impairments. To accomplish this, the Alzheimer's Association
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have
collaborated on several fronts, including the Association
moderating a panel for FEMA during their 2023 Disaster
Preparedness and Older Adults Summit: "Coordinating With &
Training Law Enforcement & First Responders to Help People With
Alzheimer's & Dementia" session. This Summit brought together
community-based organizations, federal agencies, and emergency
management professionals to discuss disaster preparedness
resources, programs, and services for older adults, as well as
the unique challenges, needs, and capabilities of older adults
in emergency preparedness to strengthen federal response
efforts.
We also recommend that the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention ensure there is a full-time gerontologist or
geriatrician within the Infectious Disease National Centers who
is able to liaise on emergency preparedness and response. This
will help ensure readiness in how to respond to the unique
needs of seniors and people with Alzheimer's and other dementia
when a new threat arises.
Access to Telehealth
Emergencies, disasters, and crises can result in difficult
care transitions - moving from one location of care to another
- for people living with dementia, especially due to
evacuations or hospitalizations. The Alzheimer's Association
and AIM also support the inclusion of provisions to expand
access to telehealth. As noted above, Medicare beneficiaries
with Alzheimer's and other dementias are more likely than those
without dementia to have other chronic conditions. Overall, 2.7
times more Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's or other
dementias have four or more chronic conditions (excluding
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias) than Medicare
beneficiaries without dementia. Telehealth is critical in
helping better manage these conditions, especially for
vulnerable populations in uncertain times.
Most people with dementia also develop at least one
dementia-related behavior like hallucinations and aggression,
and a significant percentage of these individuals have serious
associated clinical implications. Improved access to virtual
and telehealth services allows people with dementia to avoid
unnecessary visits or travel that could further compromise
their physical health, and also provide strained caregivers
help managing medical needs or behaviors in the home.
The Alzheimer's Association and AIM also supported the
expansion of Medicare and Medicaid coverage for certain
telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily
expanded coverage for numerous codes that are beneficial to
people living with Alzheimer's and other dementia, and we
appreciate the flexibilities CMS implemented to reduce the risk
of beneficiaries' exposure to the virus and ensure regular
access to quality care.
In addition, the ability to receive care in the home
decreases visits to unfamiliar places that may cause agitation
in people with dementia and can ease some burden on caregivers.
This increased flexibility can reduce interruptions in access
to this kind of quality care. We also support and thank
Congress for its leadership in procuring CMS' permanent
expansion of licensed practitioners, such as nurse
practitioners and physician assistants, who can order Medicaid
home health services. Twenty-seven percent of older individuals
with Alzheimer's or other dementia who have Medicare also have
Medicaid coverage, compared with 11 percent of individuals
without dementia. We also encourage CMS to support innovative
efforts to increase access to telehealth and telemedicine for
Medicare beneficiaries for whom access to broadband or
technology is problematic.
Conclusion
Again, we thank you for your commitment to advancing issues
vital to the millions of families affected by Alzheimer's and
other dementias. We look forward to working with the Committee
in a bipartisan way to address the critical challenges facing
the dementia community during public health emergencies.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
American Red Cross Statement
This letter is in response to Chairman Scott's question
regarding partnerships during times of disaster in the state of
Florida. We are submitting the following for the record:
The American Red Cross works closely with community
partners and emergency responders in the state of Florida, to
care for all those affected. Responding to disasters is a team
effort by many organizations to meet the needs of those
affected. This is a list of frequently engaged partners during
disasters doing important work in this space.
AME Church 11th Episcopal District
Redlands Christian Migrant Association
NAACP Florida State Conference
Catholic Charities
Salvation Army
Feeding Florida
Church of Scientology
Big Dog Ranch Rescue
Center of Independent Living
MIRA USA
Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints
Tzu Chi
Florida Department of Emergency Management
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Daintry Bartoldus Statement
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this statement for
the record. I serve as the Executive Administrator of the
Hawai'i State Council on Developmental Disabilities, where I
work to ensure that individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities (I/DD) are fully included in policy
and emergency planning at the state and community level.
Disaster preparedness must be inclusive by design-not as an
afterthought. In Hawai'i, where geographic isolation, limited
infrastructure, and natural disasters intersect, individuals
with disabilities and older adults often face disproportionate
risk and barriers to evacuation, shelter, and recovery
resources. These vulnerabilities are not inevitable-they are
the result of planning that has historically excluded people
with access and functional needs.
Inclusive disaster preparedness means:
Embedding people with disabilities in all phases of
planning-from community drills to state and county-level
emergency management meetings.
Expanding public alert systems to reach individuals
with sensory, cognitive, or communication barriers. Programs
like Smart911 must be promoted and tailored to disability
communities.
Training caregivers and emergency personnel on
disability etiquette, access needs, and culturally responsive
communication.
Ensuring accessible shelters and transportation
before an emergency strikes-not after.
Supporting local partnerships between aging and
disability networks to build resilience, not just response.
Hawai'i has taken important steps to address these gaps,
including creating disability-specific shelter-in-place
guidance, hosting "Feeling Safe, Being Safe" trainings, and
advocating for improved alert systems like the Silver Alert for
individuals with cognitive impairments, but we must go further-
and federal support is critical.
I commend the Committee for highlighting these issues at a
national level and for seeking input from diverse stakeholders.
Our voices must be part of the solution-not only for our safety
but because we bring valuable expertise to the table.
Thank you for your leadership and for including this
statement in the Congressional Record.
Respectfully submitted,
Daintry Bartoldus
Executive Administrator
Hawai'i State Council on Developmental Disabilities
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Disability Rights New York Statement
People with disabilities are disproportionately subject to
harm when emergencies strike. During and after emergencies,
they are uniquely vulnerable to loss of life, removal from
their homes, separation from their assistive technologies, and
placement in inaccessible and unsafe shelter systems. These
events, and the trauma created by them, aggravate existing
physical, mental and emotional conditions.
The data regarding their disparate exposure to harm is
alarming. Analysis of January 2023 U.S. Census data reported by
the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies establishes
that of U.S. adults who require personal assistance for daily
care, 31% were forced to evacuate their homes after a disaster,
whereas only 1% of those who do not require such care were
forced to evacuate. Once they were evacuated, most people with
disabilities reported never being able to return to their
homes. People with disabilities reported multiple unique
barriers to emergency services including the following: lack of
available information about existing accessible services;
absence of properly trained emergency responders to assist with
services; inability to obtain emergency services because they
were located too far away from their residences; emergency
services were not physically accessible; and service providers
could not communicate with or understand them.
Since 2022, Disability Rights New York has conducted
comprehensive interviews with people with disabilities and
allies who have established themselves as national leaders in
the fight for disability justice in emergency management. Those
interviewed were unanimous in their position that significant
changes in our national approach to emergency planning and
response are required. They were also unanimous in their
assessment that recent failures of federal, state and local
systems to meet the needs of people with disabilities during
emergencies can be traced in large part to the absence of
people with disabilities as critical players in emergency
planning discussions.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a range of
disability discrimination concerns demanding immediate
attention by advocates worldwide. These concerns have
stimulated new analysis of public health policy and its impact
on people with disabilities. They have also ignited critical
communication among a diverse group of people from various
disciplines, including medical providers, social workers, and
bioethcists, about ethical and civil rights implications when
emergency response is inequitable. Of particular concern was
the pandemic's impact on people with disabilities in congregate
care settings, who faced death, protracted illness, and
exacerbation of previously existing chronic conditions.
All sound models for disaster mitigation suggest
integration of self-advocacy strategies to be used by people
with disabilities before, during and after emergency events.
These strategies encourage people with disabilities to make
personal safety plans for themselves and their families. DRNY
strongly recommends that Congress provide leadership in
providing emergency programming that calls for comprehensive
advanced personal planning, including the creation of emergency
kits for use during quick evacuations, engagement of identified
support networks, and the making of advanced arrangement for
ongoing access to medications and disability benefits. DRNY
also implores Congress to ensure that emergency planning
discussions always elicit information from people with
disabilities about their personal experiences when disaster
struck.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Erika Felix Statement
My life and my family of origin has been shaped in
incalculable ways by my father's service to his country in the
Vietnam war, which he volunteered for a day after turning 18 in
1968. The impact of war lasts generations in families, not only
by the scars of the war itself, but by how our government and
public supports its veterans. Much of my childhood and early
adult years (1980s and 1990s) were characterized by my father
trying to heal and facing enormous barriers from the Veteran's
Administration (VA) in place at the time. To me, it seemed to
be the battle of his lifetime to get the full disability
benefits he deserved for the physical and emotional wounds that
were inflicted on him.
Although his years of advocacy and appeals eventually
brought him the justice of being recognized as 100% disabled,
it took an emotional toll on him and all of us. At one point, I
recall him being so frustrated and disillusioned with the VA
system at the time that he refused to seek healthcare there
anymore, and instead relied on my mother's good health
insurance from being a teacher.
I do not know what changed, but in the last 10 years he
returned to the VA, and has been receiving quality and
supportive services as a home-bound veteran. He enjoyed the
adult day services and ability to connect with other veterans.
The VA helped my parents get the mobility devices he needs to
get downstairs in their home and provided critical healthcare
at home. The support and care of the VA took on a whole new
meaning to us with recent wildfires.
I work in the field of disaster mental health. Over my
career, I have read and heard stories from numerous families
with a disabled loved ones about their challenges in evacuating
during a disaster, finding appropriate places to evacuate to,
and concerns about what will happen to them and their health
needs while out of their home. This affects the whole family's
decision and ability to evacuate.
On November 6, 2024 the Mountain Fire broke out in Somis
and Camarillo, CA. Fueled by strong winds, it quickly
threatened the neighborhoods surrounding my parents' home. I
pulled up fire maps and saw that most of the neighborhoods near
my parents' home were ordered to evacuate, but at that time, my
parents were still in an evacuation warning zone. I am the
family member who lives closest to them and was an hour drive
away, and I was stressed wondering how we would get my father
out of the house in a timely manner. My father falls easily and
when that happens, my mom (who will be 75 years old this year)
sometimes has to call paramedics to help move him. Even though
my parents had a stair lift installed, just getting him to the
stair lift, then on and off, and into a car safely is an
extreme challenge. I was wondering how I or my partner could
get down there to help, which would involve driving into a
disaster-zone. Or, if my friends who live locally, could go
over and help, but they were in an evacuation order zone and
were moving their pets and kids to safety.
When I spoke to my mother, I learned that the VA Home-Bound
Veteran's program had proactively called my father early that
morning to determine what assistance he would need given the
unfolding disaster. I was shocked in the most grateful way. In
my years working in disaster mental health, I had not heard of
this. I recall my mom saying that day that they asked if he
needed help evacuating. Much to my chagrin, my mother declined
that assistance, as they did not know if evacuation was really
going to be necessary or where they could go with my dad,. We
spent a stressful few days continually monitoring the fire map,
but thankfully, although they were surrounded by evacuation
order zones, they remained in an evacuation warning zone,
perhaps due to their close proximity to the local hospital.
Even though we did not use the VA service, the fact that they
called showed the care and concern that our veterans deserve.
Two months later, the devastating LA wildfires broke out,
and numerous news reports in the aftermath document the
disproportionate number of deaths among the elderly and
disabled. This highlights the need for programs for our aging
and disabled veterans that can help them in emergencies, so
that they do not have to rely on overtaxed first responders and
public safety personnel in an emergency.
I am highly concerned and do not know if the budget cuts
facing the VA will affect the Home-Bound Veteran's program, or
other needed services for all veterans and their families. The
VA has greatly improved in the last few decades, and I do not
want to see it return to what my father experienced upon
discharge in 1968 through the 1990s. If anything, we need more
funding to help disabled veterans and their families, and one
consideration should be helping them to evacuate and be housed
safely in a disaster.
My father gave his youth and his health to serve his
country. He lost people he loved. We as a family have dealt
with the lifelong cost of war, which is always felt for
generations. Helping the elderly and disabled during
emergencies is one of the best uses of our tax dollars, as it
helps whole families stay safe. The VA can be a leader in
designing and implementing systems to help our veterans in
community emergencies.
Thank you for considering this. Erika Felix, Michael W.
Felix, and Joy Felix
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Justice in Aging Statement
Justice in Aging appreciates the opportunity to submit this
statement on how to better support older Americans during and
after disasters. We thank the Special Committee on Aging for
its attention to this important issue.
Justice in Aging is an advocacy organization with the
mission of improving the lives of low-income older adults. We
use the power of law to fight senior poverty by securing access
to affordable health care, economic security, and the courts
for older adults with limited resources. We focus our efforts
primarily on advocating for people who have been marginalized
and excluded from justice, including women, people of color,
LGBTQ individuals, and people with limited English proficiency.
Older Adults at Risk
Older adults can be particularly at risk from disasters.
The reasons are many. Increased age can bring with it physical
and/or mental disability, or a more generalized frailty. Older
adults are more likely to rely on others for assistance with
daily activities, as well as meals, transportation, and other
needed items and services. Also, in many cases, older Americans
daily lives depend upon a routine and service system that may
have been developed over months or years.
During and after disasters, older adults are more likely to
suffer death or injury. In Hurricane Sandy (New York area,
2012), for example, half of all deaths were persons age 65 or
older.\1\ Likewise, in Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans, 2005),
persons 75 years old or older comprised half of the persons who
died.\2\ In the Camp Fire (northern California, 2018) 71 of the
84 total deaths occurred among persons of age 60 or older.\3\
In the 2021 disaster in Texas caused by an ice storm and
statewide power outage, 60 percent of the deaths were suffered
by persons of age 60 or older.\4\
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\1\ Mapping Hurricane Sandy's Deadly Toll, N.Y. Times, Nov. 12,
2012, available at https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/
interactive/2012/11/17/nyregion/hurricane-sandy-map.html.
\2\ Joan Brunkard et al., Hurricane Katrina Deaths, Louisiana,
2005, Table 2: Demographic Data for Katrina-Related Deaths: Louisiana,
2005, Disaster Med. Public Health Prep., vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 215-23
(Dec. 2008), available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18756175/.
\3\ AARP, Disaster Resilience Tool Kit, at 10 (2022).
\4\ Tex. Dep't Health and Human Servs., February 2021 Winter Storm-
Related Deaths Texas (Dec. 31, 2021).
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Virtually every disaster has this same disturbing through
line. Whether it is a hurricane in the Southeast, fires in
California or the Pacific Northwest, or a period of brutal cold
in the central United States, older adults are by far the most
likely persons to suffer death, injury or other hardship. They
in general are less physically prepared to respond to emergency
situations, and more likely to fall through the cracks in any
large-scale evacuation.
Furthermore, the risk of death constitutes only a fraction
of the overall risk facing older adults. Following a disaster,
older adults are more likely to encounter challenges in any
transition. Physical limitations may hamper their ability to
navigate temporary shelter environments, with the problems
being exacerbated by the likelihood that they may not have
access to the assistance (hands-on and otherwise) that they
have relied upon prior to the disaster. Also, these same types
of problems will hamper older adults in subsequent efforts to
transition into permanent housing with necessary assistance and
services.
Availability of Federally-Funded Services and Agencies
As described in more detail below, it is essential, both
during and after disasters, that older adults have access to
coordinated services. By and large, these are not services
provided by for-profit organizations. Rather, the services are
provided by federal and state agencies, along with nonprofit
agencies. In many instances, the work of the state or nonprofit
agency may rely significantly on federal funding.
At the time of this hearing, in mid-May 2025, much of the
federal infrastructure for necessary services is under threat.
Driven in part by the Department of Government Efficiency, the
current Administration has made or proposed significant cuts to
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is (as
the name suggests) the principal federal entity to respond to
disasters. The Administration also has proposed the elimination
of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), which is the
principal federal entity to fund and coordinate services for
older adults. Furthermore, as this statement is submitted, the
House of Representatives during the budget reconciliation
process is proposing cuts of over $700 billion to federal
Medicaid funding, which would necessarily have a significant
negative impact on the ability of older adults to access
necessary services, particularly the home and community-based
services that fund assistance with activities of daily living.
All of these proposals, if implemented, would harm older
adults. Any discussion of disaster response must acknowledge
the immediate need to reject or reverse the various
Administration-initiated program cuts. The explicit goal of
this hearing to better protect older adults cannot be
meaningfully addressed while simultaneously eliminating or
defunding entities responsible for providing or coordinating
the essential services older adults depend on.
Planning
Disaster planning is essential at multiple levels. FEMA
should develop and improve relationships with ACL (or entities
to which ACL responsibilities have been delegated), the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and other federal
agencies that administer programs for older adults. Similar
coordination should occur at the state level for example,
between the state health agency (responsible for coordinating
Medicaid services) and the state aging agency (responsible for
administering ACL-funded services).
Similar planning should occur at local levels among
agencies and service providers. Because disasters are not part
of a daily routine, it is essential that planning consider how
a disaster might affect persons and services, and that the
various entities consider the work that would be necessary and
how that work could be coordinated and performed.
This coordination should include the managed care plans
which (among other things) are now responsible for coordinating
health care for a large percentage of Medicaid-eligible older
adults. CMS should develop and implement standards to ensure
that such coordination occurs.
The planning process should incorporate older adults and
persons with disabilities, since they will have better
intuition about potential challenges. Witness Lance Taylor
during the hearing spoke of the usefulness of functional needs
advisory committees, as used by several states in planning for
emergencies.
Forethought and planning are also important at the
individual level for older adults, their families and friends.
Testimony during the hearing raised important issues for
example, the importance of evacuating with necessary
medication, and making plans among various members of a family.
Local agencies should provide training for older adults and
their families, utilizing such resources as preparation
checklists. The checklists might include both items needed in
case of an evacuation (a "go kit") and items needed to shelter
in place (a "stay kit").\5\
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\5\ AARP, Disaster Resilience Tool Kit, at 5 (2022).
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To reach more people, state and local agencies can
coordinate with community organizations, faith-based entities,
and other organizations or settings with ongoing relationships
with older adults and their families. To reach persons with
limited English proficiency, this training should be provided
in all the community's commonly used languages.
Notices and Evacuations
Older adults in many ways are less likely to be prepared
for evacuation, or to be able to evacuate in an orderly and
reasonably efficient way. One initial issue is the
effectiveness of warnings and evacuation notices. All warnings
and notices should be made not just in English but in other
languages common in the community.
Also, as mentioned by Mr. Taylor during his testimony,
notices to the community should not overlook persons with
hearing impairments. They may not be able to hear even high-
decibel warnings in the neighborhood, and instead depend on
text messages announced by vibrations from their cell phones.
During the recent Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area
(2025), at least two women were initially forgotten during
evacuations of their senior living facilities.\6\ To avoid this
problem, all communal residences should be required to develop
evacuation procedures and conduct drills.
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\6\ Grace Toohey, 97-Year-Old Woman Left Alone in Senior Facility
with Eaton Fire Outside Her Window. What Went Wrong?, Los Angeles
Times, Feb. 29, 2025.
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Accessibility of Temporary Shelter
In developing temporary shelter, agencies and providers
should consider the ability to accommodate persons with
physical disabilities. In many cases, older adults will have
limitations in the ability to ambulate or perform other
activities of daily living. Temporary shelter arrangements must
be structured so that persons with physical disabilities can
reside with adequate support.
Emergency Power Supplies
Disasters frequently result in loss of power for example,
in the case of the Texas ice storm discussed above. In another
prominent example, twelve older adults died in a Florida
nursing facility in the days after Hurricane Irma, due to the
loss of power and the resultant lack of air conditioning during
high temperatures.\7\
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\7\ Julianne Skarha et al., Association of Power Outage with
Mortality and Hospitalizations Among Florida Nursing Home Residents
After Hurricane Irma, JAMA Health Forum, vol. 2, no. 11, (Nov. 24,
2021).
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To address this problem, nursing facilities, assisted
living facilities, and other comparable communal residences
should be required to maintain emergency power generators along
with fuel for several days of operation. Electrical power is an
absolute necessity in situations of extreme cold or heat, or
when needed to operate essential medical equipment.
Conclusion
It is commonly said that failing to plan is planning to
fail. We thank Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand for
addressing this important issue, and urge the Special Committee
and the federal government to 1) maintain adequate funding and
support for FEMA, ACL, and other relevant federal agencies, and
2) conduct the necessary advance planning and coordination so
that older adults can better navigate the challenges posed by
disaster situations.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability
Statement
We are grateful for the opportunity to offer insight into
the importance of inclusive disaster preparedness in the lives
of people with disabilities and older adults. The K. Lisa Yang
and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability (YTI) in
the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) at Cornell
University conducts a combination of research and outreach. Our
mission is to advance knowledge, policies, and practices that
enhance equal opportunities for all people with disabilities.
Our research, training, and technical resources expand
knowledge about disability inclusion, leading to positive
changes in communities for people with disabilities. Over the
past 50 years, extreme weather-related disasters have increased
dramatically. NOAA reports 55 individual extreme weather
disasters in the last two years alone. In 2024, these extreme
weather disasters caused 568 direct or indirect fatalities.
People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by
extreme weather-related disasters. People with disabilities are
four times more likely to be displaced from their homes
following disasters. They are also four times more likely to
die in such events due to a wide array of factors, including a
lack of accessible transportation, inaccessible emergency
shelters, and a failure to design and implement inclusive
disaster plans. A heartbreaking example of the consequences of
this failure to plan happened during the Eaton Fire in
California. Despite calls for help, a man, and his son, both
wheelchair users, were not evacuated before the fire engulfed
their home, and they both perished.
Often, emergency management practices fail to consider the
needs of people with disabilities, including older people with
disabilities. The Administration for Community Living plays a
vital role in inclusive disaster planning by working through
partners to build capacity and strengthen partnerships with
emergency management and public health authorities. Critical
ACL-funded partners in this process include the Aging and
Disability Networks, the Independent Living Center Network, the
National Disability Rights Network, and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network. Dismantling the
networks that ACL has built and supported over the past 14
years would be devastating to efforts to ensure the health and
safety of people with disabilities and older adults during
disasters.
Federal employees are critical in ensuring an inclusive
disaster response. They support resource allocation and power
the logistics behind disaster responses. They help build
stockpiles of essential supplies before anticipated disasters,
coordinate transportation, and support long-term recovery.
Federal employees also teach local communities about disaster
response, empowering communities to care for all their
community members during extreme weather-related disasters. ACL
has a particularly impactful role in emergency preparedness for
older adults and people with disabilities. They work through
partners to assist people with disabilities and their families
with response plans. The loss of federal employees to help with
the coordination and rapid response for the aging and
disability community will be devastating to communities across
the country. Personnel in other HHS departments, where ACL
programs would be dispersed, may lack the necessary
partnerships and expertise to carry on this critical work.
For example, YTI has a grant from the National Institute on
Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
(NIDILRR), funded by ACL, to operate one of 11 regional ADA
National Networks. With the support from this grant, YTI
provides information, guidance, and training on the Americans
with Disabilities Act. This service is critical for communities
as the ADA can be complex, and municipalities need to interpret
the tenets of the ADA in inclusive disaster planning. We
support municipalities before, during, and after disasters.
Before disasters, we can help municipalities consider the ADA
as they design their strategic plans for disaster response.
Interpreting the ADA is not easy for municipalities, and
considering inclusive disaster planning and response is
critical to ensuring access for all. Questions often relate to
the need for sign language interpreters, how best to ensure
physical access within emergency shelters, and whether it is
necessary to allow service animals in emergency shelters. As an
example of our efforts to support inclusive disaster planning,
working through our partners, YTI provided recommendations to
improve the accessibility of shelters in the 78 municipalities
across Puerto Rico. This collaboration resulted in an easy-to-
use checklist that the shelters could use to ensure ongoing
accessibility in emergency shelters. We also made training on
this topic available to each municipality.
During disasters, the ADA National Network provides
information on how best to accommodate people with disabilities
in the moment, including information on effective communication
for people with disabilities, the provision of auxiliary aids
and services, and service animals in shelters, among other
topics. After disasters, we often support entities with
responsibilities under the ADA to ensure physical access during
rebuilding and in new construction. This guidance can be
critical for public entities to understand their
responsibilities and provide equitable access for their
constituents. For example, in July of 2024, the social services
department from a large city in New York had difficulty
determining the definition of fundamental alteration under the
ADA for some people who had requested accommodation or
modifications under the ADA in the county shelter program. Our
technical assistance representatives spoke with the
municipality at length regarding the requirements of the ADA in
processing accommodation requests and determining what
constitutes a fundamental alteration of services. We provided
the related text from the ADA Title II Action Guide for State
and Local Governments, developed under NIDILRR funding, and the
regulations requiring that public entities must modify
policies, practices, and procedures when necessary to assure a
person with a disability has an equal opportunity, unless to do
so would fundamentally alter the nature of the service,
program, or activity. We explained that requests only need to
be granted if they are disability-related and reasonable.
Modifications do not need to be made if they would compromise
legitimate safety rules or fundamentally alter the essential
nature of services or programs.
Without the critical support offered by ACL grantees, the
lives of people with disabilities and older people will be at
even greater risk. The services of ACL grantees are essential
in low-resource communities, such as rural areas and U.S.
territories. ACL serves a vast population of people in our
country, as 13.5% of people in the U.S. have a disability, and
18% of the population is over age 65. We urge you to maintain
funding for all of ACL, including NIDILRR, to ensure that
inclusive disaster planning and response continue for these
vulnerable populations.
Sincerely,
Wendy Strobel Gower
Thomas P. Golden Executive Director
yti.cornell.edu
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
Moving Forward Statement
Dear Chair Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and Members of
the Senate Special Committee on Aging, on behalf of the Moving
Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition, thank you for holding
the recent hearing, "Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges
Facing Older Americans."\1\ We commend the Senate Special
Committee on Aging's (the Committee's) ongoing commitment to
supporting older adults during disasters. We write to urge the
Committee to ensure that the Nation's 1.2 million nursing home
residents and 1.5 million staff are explicitly considered and
included in all phases of federal and state emergency
preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.\2\,\3\
This inclusion must be grounded in a broad understanding of
"disasters" that encompasses weather events, pandemics,
cyberattacks, and other public health emergencies. Furthermore,
we strongly encourage the Committee to formalize relationships
between nursing homes, local, county, and state-level public
health and emergency management departments, and to scale
existing models of integration.
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\1\ United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. "Preparing for
Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans." Hearing, 2025.
\2\ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "Nursing Home Data."
CMS.gov, 2024, https://data.cms.gov/.
\3\ Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Industry at a Glance: Nursing and
Residential Care Facilities: NAICS 623." BLS.gov, 2025, https://
www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag623.htm.
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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the unique
vulnerabilities that both nursing home residents and staff face
in emergency situations and demonstrated the devastating
consequences of failing to integrate nursing homes into
emergency management systems.\4\ This understanding informed
the release of the 2022 National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine Report (NASEM), The National
Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality, which serves as a
comprehensive strategy for improving nursing home quality and
includes specific recommendations related to emergency
management.\5\ The Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality
Coalition, which includes residents, providers, families,
nursing home quality experts and advocates, launched in 2022 to
implement practical solutions to the recommendations proposed
by the NASEM report. The Coalition is supported by The John A.
Hartford Foundation.\6\
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\4\ Grabowski, David C., and Jonathan Gruber. "Nursing Homes,
COVID-19, and the U.S. Policy Response." Health Affairs, vol. 39, no.
8, 2020, pp. 1287-1292. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00764.
\5\ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The
National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring Our
Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff. The National Academies
Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.17226/26526.
\6\ The John A. Hartford Foundation. "Moving Forward Coalition:
Implementing Recommendations from the NASEM Report on Nursing Home
Quality." https://www.johnahartford.org/grants-strategy/moving-forward-
coalition.
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As stated above, the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality
Coalition urges the Committee to explicitly include nursing
homes in all phases of federal and state emergency management,
which would advance the goals outlined in the NASEM report.
Specifically, we encourage the Committee to work with the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that the Emergency Support
Functions of the National Response Framework include the
following: (1) clarification that nursing homes are included in
emergency support functions; (2) requirements for state and
local emergency management documents and plans to contain
specific guidance for nursing homes during an emergency; and
(3) revisions to include residents of nursing homes as part of
the target group of "individuals with disabilities and others
with access and functional needs."\7\ These minor revisions
will help to prevent avoidable tragedies related to emergencies
in nursing homes and will ensure that the lives of nursing home
residents and staff are considered in all phases of emergency
management.
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\7\ U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency
Management Agency. National Response Framework, 5th ed., October 2021.
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/
frameworks/response.
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Additionally, the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality
Coalition urges the Committee to identify federal mechanisms to
formalize relationships between nursing homes, local, county,
and state-level public health and emergency management
departments, as recommended by the NASEM report.8 The Moving
Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition is working to advance
this recommendation through a pilot initiative supported by the
Michigan Health Endowment Fund to foster collaboration between
emergency management and long-term care stakeholders in
Michigan. This effort brings together state and local emergency
planners, nursing home representatives, long-term care
ombudsman, and public health officials to improve coordination,
communication, and readiness. The Michigan pilot serves as a
model for how states can close longstanding gaps while
informing scalable national strategies that ensure coordinated
and integrated approaches to emergency management. We encourage
the Committee to work with the Department of Health and Human
Services and FEMA to identify federal mechanisms-such as CMS
requirements-that can help formalize these partnerships in
other states.
The Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition stands
ready to work in partnership with the Senate Special Committee
on Aging to advance these meaningful and achievable policy
solutions that will help prevent avoidable adverse events.
Together, we can build a more resilient and prepared long-term
care infrastructure that protects and supports older adults in
times of crisis in all settings. We thank the Committee for its
enduring leadership in supporting older adults during
emergencies and for your consideration of the unique needs of
nursing home residents and staff, as well as pathways for
implementing our recommendations.
Sincerely,
Alice Bonner, Chair
The Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Preparing for Disasters: Unique Challenges Facing Older Americans"
May 14, 2025
Statements for the Record
United Way of New York Statement
United Way of New York submits this statement to Chairman
Senator Rick Scott and Ranking Member Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand and thanks them and the entire Committee for this
opportunity. Here at the United Way of New York State and 211
New York, we are grateful to the Committee for bringing this
significant issue to light.
As we have seen an increase in disasters, not just
statewide in New York, but nationally, we are constantly
reminded and aware of the barriers that are affecting our aging
Americans.
211 New York is a 24/7, 365 days a year in 180 languages
that has offered us insight into the elderly population. Not
only is the elderly population growing, but their needs are
growing, and their resources are scarce, and even more scarce
in a crisis. Our aging population are often the first victims
in a crisis, as they are less agile, have less resources
available to them, and often the first to succumb to stress.
211 New York in a crisis has offered resources to the aging
population by connecting individuals to emergency housing/
shelters, connection to financial aid, offering real time
updates to seniors, and information regarding warming/cooling
centers as well as assistance with contacting FEMA regarding
applications and clean up assistance.
211 New York fielded over two million calls last year,
helping with some of these very resources and needs.
As indicated in the 2025 ALICE Report (Asset Limited Income
Constrained Employed), we are seeing that with the aging of the
Baby Boomer generation, households headed by people age 65 and
over were the fastest-growing age group in New York (an
increase of 40% between 2010 and 2023). Additionally, that age
group with the most substantial increase in the number of
households below the ALICE Threshold (reaching 57% of all 65+
households in 2023).
It is critical now that we all work together to make sure
that everyone, especially our aging population, is prepared for
the imminent disasters that our future will undoubtedly hold.
Every life matter and we need to invest time, energy and
preparedness now to avoid a devastating crisis and potential
loss.
Submitted by,
Therese Daly
President & CEO
United Way & 211 New York
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