Floods, Hurricanes and Outages: A Baton Rouge Storm Plan for Older Parents

Why is Baton Rouge's storm risk different from the coast's?

The capital region sits far enough inland that storm surge is rarely the threat. What hurt older residents most in recent memory were water from the sky and the rivers, and the loss of power. In August 2016 days of rain pushed the Amite and Comite rivers and their tributaries into Denham Springs, Central, Walker and parts of Baton Rouge, flooding many homes outside mapped flood zones. After Gustav in 2008 and Ida in 2021, outages lasted days across the region.

For a frail older adult, a house without air conditioning in late summer is a medical problem within a day or two. Oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, powered beds and insulin that needs refrigeration all depend on electricity.

What should a parent living at home have ready?

Start with medications: a two-week supply where insurance allows, and a printed list with doses, prescribers and pharmacy. Then power: a plan for cooling and any equipment, whether that is a generator someone can safely run, a relative's house with power, or an early move. Then people: a named driver and destination, written down, with a backup.

If your parent would need help evacuating, register with the parish office of emergency preparedness before the season starts, and ask the parish council on aging how it handles meal deliveries and check-in calls during storm week.

What do Louisiana's rules require of care facilities?

Every ARCP must keep a written emergency preparedness plan for evacuating and sheltering in place, with procedures for monitoring weather watches, warnings and evacuation orders, a list of what any generator powers and how it is fueled, identification attached to each resident and notice to LDH and the parish emergency office. Residents must receive written evacuation procedures. After an evacuation, the provider must report residents' locations to LDH within 48 hours, and it cannot reopen a damaged building until LDH authorizes it.

Nursing homes certified by Medicare and Medicaid have their own federal emergency preparedness requirements, including emergency power planning and drills.

What should we ask a facility on a tour?

Ask for the resident copy of the evacuation procedures and read it in the car. Ask whether the building flooded or evacuated in 2016, what its generator runs, specifically whether air conditioning stays on, how many days of fuel, food, water and medication it keeps, where residents went the last time and how families were notified. Then ask for the disaster-fee formula: Louisiana requires ARCPs to disclose, in writing, how extra charges for storms and floods are calculated.

A provider that answers those questions plainly and quickly has probably practiced them.

When is a storm the moment to change the plan?

If last season showed that your parent could not evacuate, could not manage without power, or could not reach anyone for help, the plan needs to change before the next season, not during it. That may mean more help at home, a move closer to family or a move to a setting with round-the-clock staff and a tested emergency plan.

What about a parent who depends on oxygen or dialysis?

Ask each provider for its emergency plan before the season starts. Home oxygen suppliers can usually deliver extra cylinders ahead of a storm if asked early; concentrators need power, so plan for a generator, a battery backup or an early move to a place with power. Dialysis centers have their own plans for rescheduling treatments around storms, and patients should know the backup location. Home health agencies and hospices must have emergency plans for their patients; ask how they will check on your parent if roads are closed.

How do we keep a parent connected during an outage?

Keep a charged power bank and a car charger for your parent's phone, write key numbers on paper, and agree in advance on a check-in time each day. If your parent lives in a facility, ask how families are notified during an evacuation and whether the building has a way to post updates. After the 2016 flood, many families spent anxious hours trying to locate relatives who had been moved; a written plan with the host site's name and a family contact list helps avoid that.