Study Reveals How Deeply People Rely on Hearing Devices During Natural Disasters

An Australian survey of deaf and hard-of-hearing adults finds that hearing devices, and the power needed to keep them running, become critical lifelines when floods, fires and storms strike.

Emergency planning tends to focus on the visible essentials: water, food, medications, an evacuation route. For millions of people who use hearing aids or other hearing devices, there is another essential that rarely appears on preparedness checklists, and its absence can cut a person off from the world at the worst possible moment.

Researchers at the University of Sydney's Centre for Disability Research and Policy surveyed deaf, Deaf and hard-of-hearing adults across Australia, a country repeatedly tested by bushfires and floods, to understand what happens to hearing device users when natural hazards disrupt daily life. Their findings, published this week in the International Journal of Audiology, argue that assistive devices deserve a formal place in emergency planning.

Background: Why the Researchers Looked at This

Natural hazards, the term researchers use for events like bushfires, floods, cyclones and severe storms, are becoming more frequent and more disruptive in many parts of the world. Emergency management research has increasingly examined how people with disability experience these events, and the evidence consistently shows they face higher risks and are often overlooked in official planning.

Hearing device users sit in a particular blind spot. Modern hearing aids are electronic, rechargeable and often paired with smartphones, which means they depend on infrastructure, especially electrical power, that natural hazards routinely knock out. Yet little research has asked device users themselves what happens when that infrastructure fails.

The Sydney team designed this study to fill that gap, adapting an established instrument, the Emergency Preparedness Survey of People with Disability, to focus on the lived experience of people who rely on hearing technology.

How the Study Was Done

The researchers ran a cross-sectional online survey, meaning a one-time questionnaire capturing a snapshot of experiences and preparedness. A total of 124 deaf, Deaf or hard-of-hearing adults living in Australia completed it, and 114 of them used at least one hearing device, such as hearing aids or implant sound processors.

The survey asked how respondents communicate with and without their devices, what would happen if a device were lost, damaged or could not be charged, and how they had prepared, or not prepared, for emergencies. The team then analyzed the responses to identify shared challenges and practical opportunities for better planning.

What the Researchers Found

The central finding is the depth of dependence many respondents reported. Among those who could communicate effectively while wearing their hearing devices, one-third said they would experience complete communication loss without them. For these people, a dead battery or a device left behind in an evacuation is not an inconvenience. It is the difference between being able to follow instructions, ask for help or reassure family, and being shut out entirely.

That dependence extended to the phone system. Respondents who lose device function also lose the ability to make spoken emergency calls, the default channel for requesting help in most countries. Losing or damaging a device during a disaster had significant negative impacts on many respondents.

Power emerged as the common thread. Respondents relied on electricity to charge device batteries and to keep smartphones running, and many modern hearing devices are themselves controlled through smartphone apps. When the grid goes down, as it often does in exactly the events the study examined, the whole chain of hearing, communication and information access is at risk.

The authors conclude that there are vital roles for device manufacturers and suppliers in building device resilience, and for hearing care professionals in helping clients develop emergency plans that reflect how much they depend on their devices.

What It Means for People with Hearing Loss

The practical message is that hearing technology belongs in the emergency kit, conceptually and literally. That means knowing exactly how long your devices run on a full charge, keeping charging cases topped up, storing a power bank that can recharge both the case and a phone, and thinking through how you would communicate if the devices failed anyway, for example by pre-saving key phrases on paper or a phone.

It also means telling the people around you. Neighbors, family and local emergency contacts should know that a spoken phone call may not reach you in a crisis, and text-based emergency services, where available, should be registered for in advance rather than during an event.

When the Power Goes Out, Battery Reserve Matters

Because this study identifies charging access as a key vulnerability for hearing device users, battery architecture is worth weighing when choosing FDA-OTC hearing aids. Devices that store multiple recharges in their case can bridge a multi-day outage without wall power.

Panda Quantum is one such device. Each charge runs about 20 hours, and its charging case holds three additional full charges, giving 80 hours of total use before any outlet is needed. Its 16-channel processing works as adaptive noise reduction hearing aids are meant to, keeping speech in the foreground in busy, echoing places, which is useful in the crowded shelters and briefings that follow a disaster. Bluetooth connectivity for calls means alerts and check-ins can stream directly to the ears, and the device carries a 5-year warranty with a 45-day trial that begins on delivery.

One caveat worth repeating from the broader literature: OTC devices are approved for mild-to-moderate hearing loss, and people with severe or profound loss still benefit most from clinical fittings. Details on Quantum are at pandahearing.com/products/panda-hearing-aids-quantum.

Limitations of This Research

This was a self-selected online survey of 124 people in one country, so the results describe patterns of experience rather than precise population estimates, and they may not capture people with limited internet access, who could be even more vulnerable in emergencies. Cross-sectional data also cannot show how preparedness changes over time or whether specific preparations improve outcomes. Funding and conflict of interest details were not reported in the study abstract.

What to Do With This

If you or someone you care for uses hearing devices, treat them like medication in your emergency planning: know the supply, in this case hours of battery, keep a reserve, and write the device details into any household emergency plan. The researchers' larger point is aimed at institutions, but the individual lesson is available today, and it costs little more than an evening of preparation.

Maguire B, Villeneuve M, Boisvert I. Navigating natural hazards with hearing devices: lived experience challenges, insights and opportunities. International Journal of Audiology. 2026. Retrieved from PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2026.2720839