Emergency Preparedness in the Community for People with Disabilities

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Emergency Preparedness in the Community for
People with Disabilities
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Community Preparedness

• When a disaster or emergency strikes

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Community Preparedness

• Defending against hazards and minimizing their
  impact takes a team planning and preparation
  effort.

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Community Preparedness

• In any emergency, the immediate safety and well
  being of people is the first priority. All
  people.
• 18 of Minnesota population have some form of
  functional disability. 40 of people over 65.
• Standard emergency plans and procedures often do
  not consider people with special needs or make
  generic judgments or assumptions.

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Community Preparedness
The issues that have the greatest impact on
people with disabilities/special needs during
emergencies include

• Communication
• Mobility
• Independence
• Supervision
• Transportation

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Community Preparedness
Fundamental emergency actions

• Notification/Warnings
• Evacuation
• Emergency transportation
• Sheltering and temporary housing
• Repatriation and return home

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Community Preparedness- Notification

• Traditional emergency warnings may not be
  received.
• Local warning systems should ensure that all
  citizens will receive the information necessary.
• Inform support networks who can assist in getting
  the information out to their constituents.

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Community Preparedness- Notification

• Open-captioning on local TV
• Sign language interpreters (to the media.)
• Telephone calls, Reverse 911
• Auto-dialed TTY messages,
• Video Relay (VRS)
• Text messaging (twitter)
• E-mails
• Door to door

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Community Preparedness- Evacuation

• Demographics
• Evacuate or shelter-in-place
• Consult with congregate care facilities
• Allow time for organizations to activate their
  emergency plans
• Prioritize evacuations
• Registration lists
• Communicating information
• Staging special equipment and transport
• Coordinate evacuation/movement and routes

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Community Preparedness- Evacuation

• Identify accessible modes of transportation
  required.
• Account for time to get adequate transport to
  arrive from distant locations.
• Ensure that special transports are not
  double/triple booked.
• Enable transport operations before conditions
  worsen

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Community Preparedness- Sheltering

• Individuals with disabilities should not be
  segregated or told to go to medical shelters.
• They should ordinarily be allowed to use the same
  shelters as the general population.
• With a little planning and accommodation, most
  disabled people can function normally in a
  shelter situation.

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Community Preparedness- Sheltering

• Identify potential shelters for accessibility to
  persons with disabilities.
• Look for accessible parking, exterior routes,
  entrances, interior routes, toilets, water and
  power backup.
• Work with the potential facilities to try to get
  them up to upgrade to ADA standards.
• Ensure shelter staff are trained to work with
  special needs populations.

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Community Preparedness- Sheltering

• Invite local individuals, support groups and care
  facility representatives to assist in emergency
  planning.
• Discuss which local shelters would be best suited
  and what disability-related support exists.
  (equipment, transport, etc.)
• Identify and publicize to the public the
  locations of accessible emergency shelters.
• Assist in developing site-specific training and
  instructions for volunteers and staff.

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Community Preparedness- Special Requirements
Possible specific shelter concerns

• Dietary
• Medications
• Refrigeration
• Expendable/disposable items
• Electricity (backup)
• Beds/cots
• Water
• Sanitation

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Community Preparedness- Communications

• Signs/graphics
• Communication devices
• Languages
• Hearing devices
• Computer/laptops

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Community Preparedness- Service Animals

• People should not be separated from their service
  animals.
• Should not be excluded from shelters or temporary
  housing due to their service animals.
• Adequate accommodation for the animals.

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Community Preparedness- Temporary Housing

• Identify temporary accessible housing, with
  features similar to the shelters.
• Hotels or other facilities, such as dorms, that
  are ADA compliant
• Keep individuals as close to their normal
  community as possible.

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Community Preparedness- Returning Home

• Repairs to required modifications
• Access and proximity to operational
  care/facilities
• Family
• Replacement of devices
• Power, Utilities, Sanitation
• Access

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Community Preparedness- Contracting

• Contracted service providers must also provide
  accessibility for special needs populations.
• Establish understanding of requirements in the
  contract.
• Provide training to contractors as necessary.

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Community Preparedness - Engagement
Solicit planning assistance from

• Individuals
• Care facilities
• Support Organizations
• Contract businesses
• Red Cross
• MSCOD
• Local Health Dept.
• HHS/Aging

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Community Preparedness- Engagement

• Meet with Local City/County Emergency Managers
  and responders
• Share plans
• Educate each other on special issues
• Transport
• Access
• Communications
• Train personnel on appropriate actions
• Responders/EM
• Participate in exercises

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Community Preparedness

• Questions?