In 2024, when consecutive Hurricanes Helene and Milton tore through Florida, older adults suffered alone. Now, Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay is responding with an innovative model of companionship to support older adults before, during and after future storms.
Just over a year ago, Tampa Bay was devastated by unprecedented back-to-back hurricanes. In the aftermath, Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay rallied volunteers to carry food and water up 17 flights of stairs for older adults stranded in high-rise apartments without air conditioning or working elevators. Volunteers visited older adults who sat paralyzed in their flooded mobile homes, unsure of the next steps to rebuild their lives. Many endured the storms alone in dark apartments with rising floodwaters, no family nearby to help and no one to call. Their stories were full of fear and loneliness.
As Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay worked alongside other organizations in the relief effort, one thing became clear, no one was focused on the unique needs of older adults. Mobility challenges, medical issues and social isolation made older adults particularly vulnerable. That was a gap the organization could not ignore. At that moment, they launched the Senior Disaster Support Program.
They set out to make sure no older adult faces a storm alone, knowing this program could be about so much more than disaster kits and evacuation plans; it needed to be about neighbors helping neighbors, about easing anxiety before the storm hits and about solving the quiet epidemic of loneliness that so many older adults face every day.
How the Disaster Support Program Works
Volunteers and older adults come together in high-risk mobile home parks and apartment buildings to prepare, learn and connect. At monthly gatherings, neighbors share stories, swap tips and learn practical skills like CPR, flood safety, evacuation planning and even how to advocate for themselves after a disaster. But what truly makes this program special is the trust and friendship that grow along the way. Suddenly, an older adult who once felt isolated now knows someone will check on them when a disaster strikes. They have a plan and a trusted support system with their neighbors.
Judy Matthews lives in a mobile home and knows what it’s like to go through a hurricane alone. Now, she serves as a Senior Disaster Support volunteer, leading preparedness meetings in her own community to ensure that everyone has the knowledge and support before, during and after a storm. As Judy says, “It’s so important mentally to prepare for it and to accept it. That peace of mind, knowing you’re not facing the storm alone, is exactly what this program brings.”
Since launching in November 2024, Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay has partnered with 12 senior communities, with plans to continue expanding throughout Tampa Bay. They are creating networks of safety, support and connection so that when the next storm comes, older adults are ready not only with supplies, but with the strength of community behind them.
Visit Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay’s website to learn more: seniorsinservice.org/senior-disaster-support.
Watch the Senior Disaster Support Program in action:
