The winds have lessened and flood waters in some cases have receded. But, communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene and its remnants face a long road of recovery.
David Fifer has an understanding of disaster response. The EKU professor of emergency medical care has participated in hurricane operations as well as hoist rescue work with KSP during the July 2022 eastern Kentucky flood event. Fifer said once the rescue phase is completed, recovery is just beginning.
“And that is the period that often lasts, months if not years..trying to make the communities whole again and restore them to the state that they were in before the disaster,” said Fifer.
Fifer noted his mother was a police officer, EMT, and then a nurse so assistance was always in the household and in his blood. Fifer added he’s participated in hurricane response throughout the U.S. and been involved in disaster response for about a decade.
David Fifer said currently life for those in western North Carolina may be very similar to eastern Kentuckians experiences in the flood of 2022. He said in both cases, flooding caused major damage and was surprising in just how impactful. Fifer said it’s sometimes forgotten how medical needs can only begin to be seen after waters recede
“So, there’s this cascading effect from these disasters that can cause some major major medical problems to really ripple throughout a community in the aftermath of these storms,” said Fifer.
Fifer cited two examples; people who are dependent on home oxygen are going to run out and those requiring consistent medications may now be without a pharmacy anywhere near. He said some in the medical care business may also be dealing with damage and loss.
Here's more with David Fifer:
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