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Go over hurricane plans for elderly, sick and poor

Nursing homes, hospitals face special demands here

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As Louisiana's attorney general launches an investigation into 14 deaths at a New Orleans nursing home, local and state leaders should be investigating how they will handle evacuations.

Attorney General Charles Foti previously had filed charges in connection with the deaths of 34 patients left in a Louisiana nursing home when Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29.

And a team of New York Times reporters discovered that more than 150 deaths in New Orleans as of last weekend were patients in hospitals or nursing homes. Most of them were elderly.

Now is a good time for every hospital, nursing home and assisted-living facility in South Carolina to review its hurricane plans and see that all patients or residents, and their families, know what to expect.

We don't mean to imply that the local facilities have no plans. Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, for example, will evacuate all patients, by plane if necessary, to sister hospitals out of harm's way.

In Louisiana, Foti said, most of the 9,000 to 10,000 nursing home residents in Katrina's path were evacuated without any problem, according to USA Today.

Still, the state is dealing with tragedy that seems so cruel and avoidable.

In Louisiana, many facilities waited too late to make a move. Then it was discovered that some were counting on the same bus services, which were overbooked.

And when New Orleans filled with water, further thwarting efforts to get people out, neither state nor federal agencies came to the rescue, The New York Times reported.

Our community, region and state should see many red flags in this scenario.

Because Beaufort County is on the coast and is laced with islands, rivers and sounds, it is vulnerable.

And just as New Orleans long knew it was vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, Hilton Head Island has long known it is vulnerable to losing its bridge link to the mainland. As a result, special preparations must be made by governments, businesses and residents. In New Orleans, that was not always the case and this community must be working overtime now to avoid what has been seen there.

This area is home to many elderly residents, and that number is growing.

Help for the poor and elderly also is an issue. In South Carolina, three out of four nursing home residents are Medicaid clients.

Florida has faced similar challenges, and it too has not always come out smelling like a rose after being bashed by hurricanes.

This community must learn from the experience of others and prepare for the worst.