Lea en español When Hurricane Ian struck southwestern Florida in 2022, it led to the deaths of more than 150 people – the majority of whom were older adults who had heart-related problems, power outage-related accidents, medical equipment failures or a lack of timely access to care. The deaths drove home the importance of evacuating when natural hazards threaten homes and highlighted the complicated nature of doing so for the growing population of adults aging in place. "A lot of people don't evacuate," said Dr.
Lindsay Peterson, a research assistant professor in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "But this is especially true for older adults, especially if they don't have a lot of warning. It takes time to put a package together with medications and all the things they need on a daily basis.
"Imagine packing for a trip with multiple chronic conditions and you don't know how long you're going to be gone, and you might have just six to 12 hours to do it," she said. "A lot of people say, 'I can't do this. I'm just going to hope for the best.
'" With the National Weather Service predicting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season this summer and fall – estimating up to 25 named storms and as many as seven major hurricanes – experts say planning and preparation are key to survival. And not just for hurricanes, but for the increasingly intense storms, heat waves, wildfires and other climate-related natural hazards that threaten people'.
