eInsights - July 2009

Are Individuals with Special Needs Ready for Emergencies?

Emergencies often happen without warning, changing lives in an instant. Take steps now to help prepare you and your loved ones in case an emergency or disaster strikes. September marks the sixth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM), making now the perfect time to remind individuals with disabilities and other special needs to prepare for emergencies and to take their unique needs into consideration when doing so.

Citizen Corps study
A study released by Citizen Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) emergency preparedness and resiliency grassroots strategy, found that Americans with disabilities are not well prepared. Of the survey participants, 13 percent reported that they currently lived with or cared for someone with a physical or other disability, including someone elderly. Of these individuals, only 30 percent reported receiving specific information or training in order to assist that person in the event of a disaster. Respondents who indicated they themselves were living with a disability reported that only 24 percent had either received training or made preparations specific to their disability that would allow them to better respond in the event of a disaster or emergency situation.

Ask yourself these questions
Who will provide me with assistance in an emergency?
What special medical supplies should be included in my emergency supply kit?
Why is it important to know the dimensions of my wheelchair?

Creating an emergency kit
When creating an emergency kit for your home, it is important that you take any special needs you or your loved ones may have into consideration. Some items you may want to consider include extra water, extra personal supplies such as copies of prescriptions and dosage information, hearing aids, batteries, wheelchair batteries, and other supplies that you may need on a day-to-day basis. In addition, it’s important to prepare a smaller portable kit that you can take with you if you have to leave your home or that you can keep in your car.

Contact your local emergency management agency to see if there are services provided to assist any unique needs you or your loved ones may have in the case of an emergency.

Create a support network
People with disabilities should create a support network that is comprised of friends, relatives or neighbors. The people in your support network should know where you keep your emergency kit and have a copy of your emergency plan so they know how you plan to evacuate and where you will go in an emergency. You should be sure to teach the people in your support network how to use your necessary equipment or how to properly administer your medicine. And, as practice makes perfect, your support network should practice executing your emergency plan.

Identify out-of-town relatives
Emergencies are unpredictable and can affect entire communities, so you should also identify out-of-town relatives or friends to serve as points of contact, as it is often easier to place an out-of-state long distance call from a disaster area than to call within the area. Everyone in your family should know to contact these people to update them on your location and condition. Then, your out-of-town contacts will be able to relay messages to your friends and families.

Get a kit; Make a plan; Be informed; Get involved
FEMA’s Ready Campaign Web site can be an invaluable resource to help you prepare by taking these simple steps: Get a Kit; Make a Plan; Be Informed and Get Involved in community efforts such as Citizen Corps. Ready’s Web site features downloadable emergency supply checklists and family emergency plan templates, as well as videos of older Americans and individuals with disabilities making emergency supply kits and filling out emergency plans. Individuals interested in more information about family, business and community preparedness can visit www.ready.gov. Individuals can also call 800-BE-READY or TTY 800-462-7585 for more information.

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