Resilient communities: Empowering older adults in disasters and daily life

This report first conveys the assets and needs of community-dwelling older adults during disasters that result in power outages and service interruptions, drawing on literature, and with a special focus on Hurricane Sandy. The report then proposes strategies to strengthen and connect formal and informal support systems to facilitate improved future outcomes. Underlying the analysis is a “community resilience framework,” which asserts that the best way to help communities prepare for and cope with disasters is to enhance their social networks, connectedness, and integration of assets long before disaster strikes.