Article highlights the hardships faced by individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) when disasters strike. The authors suggest that now is the time for individuals living with SCI who reside in areas prone to tropical cyclone activity to educate themselves about their risks and preemptively take protective actions. Discussion focuses on the time-urgent need to improve storm readiness among at-risk individuals living with SCI before the start of the upcoming hurricane season. The authors review the evidence indicating that tropical cyclones are becoming increasingly destructive in the era of climate change and consider how this trend may magnify the difficulties that those with SCI may experience before, during, and after a hurricane. In addition, they describe the ways in which health professionals caring for individuals with SCI can help them better prepare for hurricanes while also enhancing their own readiness to provide care during and after an extreme storm.
Author(s):
Shapiro, Lauren T. |Gater Jr., David R. |Shultz, James M.|
