Dare County's Special Medical Needs Registry prepares for Hurricane Erin evacuation assistance

As Hurricane Erin continues to move throughout the Atlantic,
officials have been preparing for months before the storm even formed.

“Our work on the Special Medical Needs Registry starts in May
every year,” said Chuck Lycett, Director of Dare County Social Services.
“Individuals can sign up at any time in Dare County.”

The Social Medical Needs Registry helps with medical care
and/or personal care during an evacuation for a hurricane or for those needing
assistance while they are sheltering during a storm.

Lycett said in May, officials with Dare County Social Services started calling those on the registry to make sure they have the
correct contact information for them.

“We call those individuals to make sure they haven’t moved,
or their number hasn’t changed, or maybe they’re no longer alive,” he said.

The registry is not limited to Dare County. Lycett said
it’s something that has been in the general statute for years and is required
for each county.

“Every county operates it a little bit differently, and this
is what we determined here in Dare County would work best for us,” Lycett said.

Lycett explained to WRAL News how the registry said adult
services staff are assigned to reach out to the people who are signed up to
find out what their medical situation is. If there is an evacuation, they reach
out to find out what their plan is and if they need any assistance.

“If they’re not evacuating and they’re staying here, we make
sure we verify we have next of kin or other relatives we can contact just in
case we can’t reach that person,” Lycett said.

He said that the department works closely with the GIS
department to share information with EMS departments and fire chiefs to be
mindful of who is staying behind and what they’re medical needs are.

Currently, there are about 70 people on the list in Dare
County, and Lycett said it is not limited to any particular person or group.

“Individuals could be blind, hearing, or speech impaired,”
Lycett said. “They could have Alzheimer’s, they may have a medical condition,
they may not be ambulatory. They could be somebody who is 16 and requires some
kind of connection to electricity, and they could be 85 and not be mobile and needs assistance in terms of
getting out of the house and to the vehicle. The age range is open to
everybody.”

Lycett said once someone has signed up for the list, they
do not have to reapply every year, and anyone can register a loved one.  

“You can call, you fill out the form and send it in, and we
do have an easy-to-fill-out electronic registration that comes automatically to
us,” he said.

You can also sign up for the registry by calling 252-475-5500.