Transcript Preparing the Preparers: Educating Community Leaders in

Preparing the Preparers: Educating
Community Leaders in
Emergency Preparedness & Planning.
Special Populations
Michael T. “Mick” Maurer, PhD, MHA
Department of Applied Psychology,
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
And the
Bachelor of Science in Critical Infrastructure Protection degree program
(Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Business Continuity, and Strategic Intelligence)
Paul McGhee Division
NYU School for Continuing & Professional Studies
May 4, 2007
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Population Exposure model
A Seriously injured victims • bereaved family members
B Victims with high exposure to trauma • victims evacuated from the disaster zone
Bereaved extended family members and friends • rescue and recovery
C workers with prolonged exposure • medical examiner's office staff • service
providers directly involved with death notification and bereaved families
People who lost homes, jobs, pets, valued possessions • mental health providers
D • clergy, chaplains, spiritual leaders • emergency health care providers • school
personnel involved with survivors, families, of victims • media personnel
E
Government officials • groups that identify with target victim group • businesses
with financial impacts
F Community-at-large
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Agency
Type of Event
Who is Eligible
What is Provided
When Provided
FEMA/
CMHS
Crisis
Counseling
Natural or human
caused disaster. Must
have Presidential
declaration.
Anyone living, working,
or in the declared area
at the time of the
disaster.
Outreach, short-term
counseling, referral, and
psychoeducational activities
provided by mix of
professionals and trained
paraprofessionals.
Typically for about a
year following a disaster.
Does not provide longterm treatment.
Red
Cross
Mental
Health
Services
Any emergency.
Special authorities in
transportation
emergencies.
Anyone in affected
areas. Can provide
services to families
outside disaster area.
Counseling and referral by
licensed mental health
professionals.
Typically only for a few
days/week following the
event.
Office for
Victims
of Crime
Criminal acts only
(including terrorism).
Crime victim's location
not critical.
Variety of advocacy and
other services including
support for short- and longterm mental health services.
As long as necessary
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Natural vs. Human-Caused Disasters
Natural
Human-Caused
Causes
Forces of nature
Human error, malfunctioning
Examples
Earthquakes,
hurricanes, floods
Airplane crashes, major chemical leaks, nuclear
reactor accidents
Blame
No one
Person, government, business
Scope
Various locations
Locations may be inaccessible to rescuers, unfamiliar
to survivors, little advance warning
High
Higher, often felt by family members not involved in
actual disaster
Postdisaster
Distress
Source: CMHS. Psychosocial Issues for Children and Families in Disasters. A Guide for
the Primary Care Physician. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; Publication No. (SMA) 96-3077, 1996.
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Percentage Distribution of the Population
By Race and Hispanic Origin
(Includes foreign and native-born
populations)
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
**
Asian and
Pacific
Islander
Hispanic/
Latino
Origin*
Year
White
Black/ African
American
1995
73.6
12.0
0.7
3.3
10.2
2000
71.4
12.2
0.7
3.9
11.8
2010
67.3
12.5
0.8
4.8
14.6
2050
52.8
13.2
0.8
8.9
24.3
2100
40.3
13.0
0.7
12.6
33.3
* Persons of Hispanic/Latino origin may be of any race. Groups listed under “Race” are not of Hispanic origin.
** Includes American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Aleuts.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. (2000). Projections of the resident population by race, Hispanic
origin, and nativity: Middle series, 1999 to 2100. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Disaster Projects Confront
Distrust
 Several disaster crisis counseling projects supported by the
Federal Government have had to address the distrust of ethnic
minority groups and their reluctance to use available resources.
 For example, following the 1994 California earthquake, the disaster
crisis counseling project found that many immigrants’ distrust of
government posed a barrier to their use of disaster services.
 Likewise, some of the survivors of a hurricane in Alabama were
immigrants from Asian Communist countries who did not trust any
government and were not accustomed to receiving Government
assistance.
California Final Report, 1995 • Alabama Final Report, 1999
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Damage from Mississippi
Tornadoes Unequal
 In the late 1950s, several tornadoes struck rural
Mississippi.
 The only persons killed were black.
 A subsequent study found that many people in
the black community had great difficulty in coming
to terms with this disaster.
 They did not understand how a just God could
discriminate in such a fashion between white and
black.
Perry and Perry, 1959
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Civil Unrest Causes
Emotional Problems for
Refugees
 The civil unrest and fires in Los Angeles that came
in the wake of the Rodney King verdict affected a
community inhabited by many refugees from
Central America and Asia.
 For immigrants who came from war-torn countries,
the Los Angeles disturbances reactivated fears
and emotions associated with their homeland.
 Many experienced increased agitation,
depression, confusion, and recollections of prior
bereavements. California Final Report, 1994
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Disaster Strikes a Highly Diverse
Community



On January 17, 1994, a major earthquake struck Los Angeles and
Ventura Counties.
The Northridge earthquake was the largest and most violent to hit an
urban area in the United States since the 1906 San Francisco quake.
The post-disaster recovery effort provided mental health services to 1.9
million persons, representing myriad ethnic groups, special populations,
and lifestyles.
• The size and scope of the two affected counties, as well as the ethnic diversity of their
residents, constituted a challenge to disaster mental health providers.
• For example, Ventura County is home to many undocumented migrant farm workers,
the majority of whom do not speak English and are mistrustful of government at any
level.
• Language and cultural barriers had to be overcome for persons from several Asian
cultures as well.
• The diverse population in the affected areas also included other special populations,
such as physically challenged persons and runaway youth, two groups that required
California Final Report, 1995
special outreach strategies.
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Vulnerable Groups
Underserved by Science and
Technology
• Elderly shut-ins during heat and cold
waves
• Illegal immigrants crossing southern
border
• Victims fearful of revealing identities
• Publics vulnerable to terrorist attacks at
home, in workplace, in mass transit, at
play
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People with disabilities --
•are not currently included in emergency planning
and little, if any, communication exists between
planners and the disability community
•have a wide variety of communication, support
and health needs that differentiate them from
persons without disabilities
•tend to live in low income areas that include areas
at higher risk for chemical emergencies
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Train response personnel
 There are very few materials available to use for information and
training purposes, but the Red Cross (1998) has developed some
materials on natural disaster sheltering and evacuation, and the
Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities and Other
Special Needs (Inclusion Incorporated, 1999) offer’s assistance in
training personnel to deal with issues such as:
 Transporting
 Lifting or carrying people with disabilities
 Assistance animals
 Communication
 Dealing with highly emotional people & appropriate language
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Seven key principles should
guide disaster relief:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Accessible Disaster Facilities and Services
Accessible Communications and Assistance
Accessible and Reliable Rescue
Communications
Partnerships with the Disability Community
Disaster Preparation, Education, and
Training
Partnerships with the Media
Universal Design and Implementation
Strategies
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Key Concepts of Disaster Mental Health

No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it.

There are two types of disaster trauma—individual and community.

Most people pull together and function adequately during and after a
disaster, but their effectiveness is diminished by the effects of the event.

Stress and grief in disasters are normal reactions to abnormal situations.

Many emotional reactions of disaster survivors stem from problems of
daily living brought about by the disaster.

Disaster relief assistance may be confusing to some survivors. They may
experience frustration, anger, and feelings of helplessness related to
Federal, State, and private-sector disaster assistance programs.

Most people do not see themselves as needing mental health services
following a disaster and will not seek such services.
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 Survivors may reject disaster assistance of all types.
 Disaster mental health assistance is often more practical than
psychological in nature.
 Disaster mental health services must be tailored to the culture of
communities where they are provided.
 Mental health workers should set aside traditional methods, avoid
mental health labels, and use an active outreach approach to
intervene successfully in disaster.
 Survivors respond to active, genuine interest, and concern.
 Interventions must be appropriate to the phase of disaster.
 Social support systems are crucial to recovery.
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Training
 Independent Study Courses from FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute. At this site find courses (in PDF
files) for a number of emergency management topics.
You may enroll in courses, take final exams or do
independent study.
Programs for Reaching Hearing Impaired. The
Tennessee Fire Marshal’s office offers a course for
safety educators in reaching people with hearing
disabilities in the event of fire.
http://www.state.tn.us/commerce/sfm/fireSafetyEducati
onResources.html
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Articles
 Emergency Preparedness For People with Disabilities and other
Special Needs: Another Look After Katrina Carl T. Cameron,
Ph.D.,
Disaster! This article in the November, 1994 issue of Mainstream
Magazine deals with the gaps in emergency management related
to people with disabilities.
Coping With the Aftermath: How Does Someone With An Anxiety
Disorder Cope In a Changed World? Kathleen Henning, 9/19/01.
 Disaster Mitigation for Persons with Disabilities: Fostering a New
Dialogue. A report by The Annenberg Washington Program in
collaboration with The President’s Committee on Employment of
People with Disabilities by Annenberg Senior Fellow Peter David
Blanck.
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Websites

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
The Community Preparedness Website Project -- www.preparenow.org. This
Website focuses on supporting the special needs of vulnerable populations in
disasters. It includes a checklist for facility preparation & inventory of neighborhood
resources and information on how to prepare for disaster for people with special
medical needs.
Disaster Preparedness for Persons with Mobility Impairmentswww.nobodyleftbehind2.org/
American Red Cross.-- www.redcross.org/ -- Disaster Preparedness for People
With Disabilities Audio tapes. Educator’s information, Disaster Preparedness for
people with disabilities, Curricula for schools, videos and more.
The Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association, International
(DERA). -- www.disasters.org/dera/dera.htm “DERA was founded in 1962 to
assist communities worldwide in disaster preparedness, response and recovery,
and to serve as a professional association linking professionals, volunteers and
organizations in all phases of emergency preparedness and management”. This
site also contains a calendar of conferences
Federal Emergency Planning Agency (FEMA). www.fema.gov

Documents titled: Access to Agency Programs for People With Disabilities, Fire
Safety and the Disabled Program, Fire and the Elderly, and a Document titled
Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office Occupancies at
http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu
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Websites

Emergency Preparedness Information Exchange (EPIX)
http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/epix/topics/training.html . Education, training, exercises and
simulations.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). www.epa.gov/ceppo .
Preparedness - Emergency Planning, Communities Right to Know.
Occupational and Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). www.osha.gov
National Organization for the Disabled. www.nod.org. This website contains list of
websites addressing disabled and emergency planning and other useful
information for planning.
Disabled People and DP2 Disaster Planning. www.citycent.com/dp2/ This is a
California website that deals with disabled and access in earthquakes; however it
is useful information for other situations.
eSight. Emergency Plans That Include Workers With Disabilities www.esight.org.
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Websites

Emergency Power Planning for People Who Use Electricity and Battery Dependent Assistive
Technology and Medical Devices, June Kailes, 2006

Emergency Preparedness: Taking Responsibility For Your Safety - Tips for People with Activity
Limitations and Disabilities. (2006) Los Angeles County Emergency Survival Program, posted
05/2/06 Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to
People with Disabilities (last accessed 08/12/06)

Serving and Protecting All by Applying Lessons Learned Including People with Disabilities and
Seniors in Disaster Services, (March 2006), June Kailes and California Foundation for
Independent Living, posted 05/2/06
Report on Special Needs Assessment for Katrina Evacuees (SNAKE) Project, National
Organization on Disability, 2005
Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning, National Council on
Disability, 2005
Disaster Services and “Special Needs:” Term of Art or Meaningless Term? June Kailes, 2005
Survey of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees, September 2005, The Washington Post, Kaiser Family,
Foundation, and Harvard University. Accessed 11/19/05

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