One year after the winds of Hurricane Katrina subsided, the lessons learned by Louisiana nursing homes are important for all companies in the long-term care industry. This is the second installment of an interview with Joseph Donchess, executive director of the Nursing Home Association of Louisiana (www.lnha.org) on what has happened to the senior living industry in New Orleans and what the industry now knows on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

If you’ve never gone through a hurricane or other major natural disaster, it might be hard to understand how fragile our communications systems are and how isolated we become without them. Even driving across town to deliver a message — something that may seem like the obvious step when phones and power are out — is a challenge; roads are often blocked by water, downed power lines, trees, and debris. As a result, almost all forms of communications can be down for days, or even weeks.

So it’s not a surprise that at the top of Mr. Donchess’ list of lessons learned is the need for some type of communications equipment that works when common forms do not. After Hurricane Katrina, the only communications that seemed to function were Blackberrys and ham radios, he said. He went on to point out that it is important that an organization be prepared with alternative communications and that it be capable of communicating with hospitals, emergency management, fire and rescue, and law enforcement. “Know what type of communications will work well in your area.”

The possibility that evacuation might be needed leads to the second item on his list of lessons learned… having transportation plans and transportation in place. Right now, New Orleans nursing homes are having a hard time finding sources of transportation in case of a new emergency. They are working with the state to assist them should a new emergency arises. Clearly, relying on last-minute arrangements won’t work. So organizations need to have a transportation plan and resources in place well before the need arises.

The third lesson on Mr. Donchess’ list is having a site for evacuation that can reasonably work for the needs of your residents for an extended period of time. The highest priority location should be some form of healthcare facility that has the services in place that are going to be needed by residents. Schools, churches and other common gathering areas are not really practical for any extended time and should not be high on anyone’s list.

A final recommendation is an investment that Mr. Donchess knows is expensive, but would have saved more lives than anything else had they been in place in New Orleans…raised generators, capable of running air conditioning systems. More seniors died from the affects of the heat than anything else, notes Mr. Donchess.

With the lessons learned after what happened with Hurricane Katrina, is New Orleans ready for another hurricane, asked the GMMR? After the slightest hesitation, Mr. Donchess replied, “I think we are ready for the next hurricane, with some gaps [that need attention], but the state and federal government are better prepared too to help us.”