Transcript Disaster Preparation - Independent Living Resource Centre

Disaster Preparation
For
Individuals
With
Disabilities
Jacquie Brennan
Attorney At Law
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
A Word of Thanks
• ILRU at Memorial Hermann/TIRR
• June Kailes
• JAN’s Employers’ Guide for Evac Plans
• Time Magazine
A National Culture
of
Unpreparedness
Ancient History
NOLA
Building Codes
 Louisiana
 Florida
 Mississippi
Preparation
The Gulf Coast is not prepared for the
next big storm.
In the months since Katrina, the rest of
the U.S. has not proved to be a quicker
study than the Gulf Coast.
Trickle Down Apathy
There is still no federal law requiring state
and local officials to plan for the
evacuation of the sick, elderly, poor or
individuals with disabilities.
But earlier this year, both houses of
Congress triumphantly passed bills that
require locals to plan for the evacuation of
pets.
Trickle Down Apathy
In June, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) released an unprecedented
analysis of state and urban emergency
plans around the country, including
assessments of evacuation plans and
command structures. The report
concluded that most "cannot be
characterized as fully adequate, feasible,
or acceptable."
Worst Performers
 Dallas
 New Orleans
 Oklahoma City
By far the best – Florida!
It’s not just bureaucrats
 In a TIME poll, about half of those
surveyed said they had personally
experienced a natural disaster or public
emergency.
 But only 16% said they were "very well
prepared" for the next one. Of the rest,
about half explained their lack of
preparedness by saying they don't live in
a high-risk area.
But in fact…
In fact, 91% of Americans live in places at a
moderate-to-high risk of earthquakes,
volcanoes, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes,
flooding, high-wind damage or terrorism,
according to an estimate by the Hazards and
Vulnerability Research Institute at the University
of South Carolina.
But Americans have a tendency to be die-hard
optimists, literally. It is part of what makes the
country great--and vincible.
Four Stages of Disaster
Denial
It won’t happen here.
Even if it happens here, it won’t happen
to me.
Even if it happens to me, it won’t be that
bad.
Even if it’s that bad, there’s nothing I
could have done about it anyway.
Too poor to evacuate?
 The conventional wisdom after Katrina was that most of the people who
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failed to evacuate were too poor to do so. But a recent survey in eight
hurricane-prone states showed that other forces may also be at play.
The survey, led by Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political
analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health, attempted to determine
what, if anything, would pry people from their homes in the face of another
Katrina.
Overall, 33% said they would not leave or were not sure whether they
would leave if an evacuation order was given. But it was homeowners, at
39%, who were particularly stubborn.
Lack of funds or transportation does play a role for stay-behinds, but
according to the poll, a greater consideration is a vague belief that their
home is built well enough to survive a storm--a justification offered by a
whopping 68%.
Rescue Me!
66% of those surveyed were also
confident that if they stayed at home, they
would eventually be rescued--a faith
hardly justified by the Katrina experience.
Ours is a strange culture of irrational
distrust--buoyed by irrational optimism.
Yeah, but I’m not old!
 Heat waves bring out the same kind of self-delusion.
Scott Sheridan, professor of geography at Kent State
University, has studied heat-wave behavior--focusing
particularly on seniors, who are at special risk in hot
weather--in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Toronto, and Dayton.
 He found that less than half of people 65 and older
abide by heat-emergency recommendations like drinking
lots of water.
 Reason: they don't consider themselves to be old.
Kathleen Tierney, head of the
Natural Hazards Center
"We as human societies have yet to
understand ... that nature doesn't
care. And for that reason, we
must care."
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;
– often live in low income areas that include
areas at higher risk for chemical emergencies.
How to Prepare
The very first thing to think about, long
before you are faced with an emergency
is:
How To Leave
A Way Out
 Decide now how you will get out in case of an
emergency.
 Plan how you will leave your house, as well as how you
will leave your city.
 Make a drawing of the layout of your house. Plan an
escape route in the event of a sudden disaster. In a
child’s room, this should be posted at the child’s eye
level.
 Make a plan of where to meet outside the house – either
at a neighbor’s house or maybe at a neighborhood store
a few blocks away.
A Total Turn-Off
For some emergencies and/or evacuations, you
might be instructed to turn off your utilities
before you leave home.
Find out how to turn off the water, gas, and
electricity to your house before you’re in the
middle of a disaster.
Do not turn your own gas back on. You must
have a professional do that.
Every family member should have a card with important
information on it. This is a sample published by FEMA:
Got Papers?
Keep important papers in a safe location.
That is pretty simple.
The hard part may be deciding what to
include in the category of “important
papers.”
What is Important
 Identification – driver’s license,
passport
 Lease agreement
 Insurance policies
 Birth certificates, marriage certificates
 Divorce papers, custody papers
 Guardianship papers
 Wills, powers of attorney
 Deeds
 Immunization records
 Property records
 Social security cards
Names and Numbers
All treating physicians
Your bank
Your therapists
Your pharmacy
Friends and family (do not depend on
your cell phone for numbers)
Computers
 If you keep important records,
especially financial information, on
your computer, back up that
information onto disks or a portable
drive that you can take with you.
First Aid Kit
Your own first aid kit should include the
usual items in a first aid kit plus any
prescription medications you take.
Consider having a separate kit at work, at
home, and even in the car.
Home Sweet Home Kit
Your disaster supplies kit should contain
essential food, water, and supplies for at least
three days.
Keep this kit in a designated place and have it
ready in case you have to leave your home
quickly. Make sure all family members know
where the kit is kept.
Additionally, you may want to consider having
supplies for sheltering for up to two weeks.
Home Away From Home
Kit to Keep at Work
This kit should be in one container, and
ready to "grab and go" in case you are
evacuated from your workplace.
Make sure you have food and water in the
kit. Also, be sure to have comfortable
walking shoes at your workplace in case
an evacuation requires walking long
distances.
Car Kit
In case you are stranded, keep a kit of
emergency supplies in your car.
This kit should contain food, water, first
aid supplies, flares, jumper cables, and
seasonal supplies.
Don’t Forget
Medical Equipment – make arrangements
to take it with you if you must evacuate
Medical Supplies – get extras now
Prescriptions – take the bottles with you,
and also maintain a list with strengths and
dosages
To Leave or Not to Leave
 You may, at some point before or
during a disaster, make a decision
about whether to leave. Your
decision will likely be based on
whether there is time to leave, road
conditions, and what emergency
management officials are advising.
If you have a disability…
If you are hearing impaired, you might need to
make special arrangements to receive an
alternative to the audible warnings that others
will hear.
If you have a mobility impairment, you may
need to make special arrangements for
transportation and check on the accessibility of a
shelter in advance.
Or if…
If you have life-sustaining medical
equipment, you will need to make
arrangements for that to be evacuated
with you.
If you have special dietary needs, you
need to be sure that you have an
adequate emergency food supply.
At the first sign
 If evacuation is even mentioned as a
possibility, start gathering what you
will need to take with you and don’t
forget extra wheelchair batteries,
oxygen, catheters, medication, and
food for service animals.
Registration
Your community’s emergency management
office may offer the opportunity for individuals
with disabilities to register in a database if they
will need special assistance during a disaster
because of their disability.
If you think you might want to register, be sure
to ask what services are promised to people who
register and what the consequence is of not
registering.
Pets
 Plan in advance for what you will do with your pets (not
service animals) by keeping extra pet supplies, keeping
up-to-date veterinary records, making sure your pet is
wearing identification, and getting a pet carrier.
 Contact animal shelters in advance to find out about
services they may offer during an evacuation. If you
have an idea about where you will go if your area is
evacuated, call ahead to find out which hotels will accept
pets and/or where local animal boarding facilities are
located in the place where you plan to go. Take a
description and a photo of your pet with you in case you
become separated.
 Pets (with the exception of service animals) are generally
not permitted in shelters.
Animals of Size
 Preparing before a disaster is crucial if you have large
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animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats, or pigs on
your property.
Make sure all of the animals have identification, and
evacuate them, if at all possible. Be sure you have
adequate vehicles, trailers, handlers, and drivers
available.
Make sure there is food, water, shelter, and care
available and waiting at your destination.
If evacuation is impossible, then you will have to decide
whether to try to move the animals to shelter or turn
them outside.
Service Animals
If you evacuate, be sure to take your service
animal’s medications and medical records, along
with a sturdy harness and a carrier that is large
enough for the animal to stand, turn, and lie
down.
Take enough pet food and water to last three
days.
Taking some of your service animal’s familiar
items may help reduce stress for your animal.
Shelter here or there
Whether you take refuge in a shelter, or in your
home, you need to plan ahead.
Following a natural disaster, you may not be able
to get any help for several days. You need to
have your own food and fresh water and other
supplies to last for at least three days.
It is likely that you will be without one or more
basic services like electricity, gas, water, or
telephones for days or weeks.
Communication
If you may have difficulty
understanding or communicating
with shelter staff, you may want
to prepare written cards in
advance that explain your
disability and the kind of help
you are likely to need in order to
understand and/or communicate
with staff.
Your Bidness
• If you have a business, there is no
requirement that you have an emergency
evacuation plan (unless you have
obligations under OSHA or your state/local
law).
• But if you DO have a plan, then it must
include individuals with disabilities.
Inclusive Planning
• When an emergency plan is being
developed, include employees with
disabilities in the planning.
• Do not assume that everyone with a
disability will need evac assistance.
• People with disabilities are in the best
position to assess their needs.
• It’s all right to do an annual survey.
A few ideas to get started
• Emergency alarms and signs (accessible
and in working order) that show
emergency exit routes;
• Designate areas of rescue assistance
(Section 4.3.11 of the ADAAG);
• Purchase evacuation devices and train
employees;
• Remove physical barriers to evac routes.
A few more ideas
• For people who use wheelchairs,
employers may want to provide heavy
gloves to protect hands from debris and a
patch kit to repair flat tires.
• Install lighted fire strobes and other visual
or vibrating alerting devices to go along
with audible alarms. Section 4.28 ADAAG.
Still more ideas
• Install tactile signs and maps for employees with
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vision impairments.
Think about ways to communicate with
employees who have cognitive impairments.
Employees with respiratory impairments might
have difficulties with smoke, dust, fume, or
chemicals. Consider evacuation hoods, masks,
respirators.
So much information
• There is a lot of information about
emergency planning for individuals,
businesses, agencies, and governmental
entities.
• On the next several slides, helpful
websites are listed.
Websites
• Preparing the Workplace for Everyone:
Accounting for the Needs of People with
Disabilities.
http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ep/prepari
ng.htm
• Project Safe Evac:
http://evac.icdi.wvu.edu/library/
More Websites
• ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making
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Community Emergency Preparedness and
Response Programs Accessible to People with
Disabilities:
http://www.ada.gov/emergencyprep.htm
NOD Guide on the Special Needs of Individuals
with Disabilities for Emergency Managers,
Planners, and Responders:
http://www.nod.org/resources/PDFs/epiguide20
05.pdf
More Websites
• JAN Employers’ Guide to Including Employees
with Disabilities in Emergency Evacuation Plans:
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/emergency.html
• FEMA Emergency Management Guide for
Business and Industry:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/business/guide/bizinds
t.pdf
Just a few more
• FEMA Emergency Procedures for Employees with
Disabilities in Office Occupancies:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/txt/publicat
ions/fa-154.txt
• BEST OF SHOW: June Kailes’ Disaster Resources
for People with Disabilities and Emergency
Managers: http://www.jik.com/disaster.html
Questions?
Contact the
DBTAC
Southwest ADA Center
1.800.949.4232
[email protected]