By: Alan Suderman
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Texas is no stranger to natural disasters. Whether it’s exotic-named hurricanes washing in from the Gulf of Mexico, tornadoes that touch down in the panhandle, or massive floods that leave the whole state soggy, the Lone Star State has its fair share of pain from Mother Nature.

And it hasn’t been cheap. While costs are still being tallied from this summer’s series of floods, similar flooding levels in 2002 cost the state an estimated $1 billion.  It’s a lot of money, but it still doesn’t compare to the cleanup from Hurricane  Katrina, estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars.

More than two years after New Orleans was flooded, articles continue to pour out statistics, many reporting that older adults are more likely than other demographics to be adversely affected by natural disasters. And currently thousands who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina are in the Houston area—with little prospect of returning because they can’t afford to rebuild their homes.

Trained for safety
People living at Eagles Trace, a full-service retirement community in Houston, shouldn’t have too much to worry about, according to campus Security  Manager Mark Batterson. He says Eagle’s Trace is well prepared for all sorts of emergencies, including hurricanes. His team of security officers provides 24-hour-a-day emergency response; and everything from a ten-minute blackout to a full-scale evacuation has been well researched and planned for. Three times a year, he and his team even perform disaster drills.

Eagle’s Trace community member D.E. Smith says that when he had a health emergency, the security team couldn’t have performed any better. “They were so speedy, it was amazing,” he says. Smith adds that the peace of mind that the 24-hour-a-day security provides is priceless.

“We think that the security here is just marvelous,” agree Smith and his wife Joan. “It’s probably one of the biggest assets.”