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From FEMA Disaster Preparedness For People With Disabilities
Being prepared for emergencies can reduce the fear, panic, and inconvenience
that surrounds a disaster.
Check for hazards in the home.
During and right after a disaster, ordinary items in the home can cause
injury or damage. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause fire is a home
hazard. Check for items such as bookcases, hanging pictures, or overhead lights
that could fall in an earthquake or a flood and block an escape path.
Be ready to evacuate.
Have a plan for getting out of your home or building (ask your family or
friends for assistance, if necessary). Also, plan two evacuation routes because
some roads may be closed or blocked in a disaster.
Have disaster supplies on hand:
Flashlight with extra batteries.
Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries.
First aid kit and manual.
Emergency food and water.
Non-electric can opener.
Essential medicines
Cash and credit cards
Sturdy shoes.
Maintain a list of the following important items and store it with the
emergency supplies. Give a copy to another family member and a friend or
neighbor.
Special equipment and supplies, e.g., hearing aid batteries
Current prescriptions names and dosages
Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors and pharmacist
Detailed information about the specifications of your medication regime
Create a self-help network of relatives, friends or co-workers to assist in
an emergency.
If you think you may need assistance in a disaster, discuss your disability
with relatives, friends, and co-workers and ask for their help. For example, if
you need help moving or require special arrangements to receive emergency
messages, make a plan with friends. Make sure they know where you keep emergency
supplies. Give a key to a neighbor or friend who may be able to assist you in a
disaster.
Contact your local emergency information management office now.
Many local emergency management offices maintain registers of people with
disabilities so they can be located and assisted quickly in a disaster.
Wearing medical alert tags or bracelets to identify your disability may help
in case of an emergency.
Know the location and availability of more than one facility if you are
dependent on a dialysis machine or other life-sustaining equipment or treatment.
If you have a severe speech, language, or hearing disability:
When you dial 9-1-1, tap space bar to indicate tdD call.
Store a writing pad and pencils to communicate with others.
Keep a flashlight handy to signal whereabouts to other people and for
illumination to aid in communication.
Remind friends that you cannot completely hear warnings or emergency
instructions.
Ask them to be your source of emergency information as it comes over
their radio.
If you have a hearing ear dog, be aware that the dog may become
confused or disoriented in an emergency.
Store extra food, water and supplies for your dog.
Planning for Evacuation
People with disabilities have the same choices as other community residents
about whether to evacuate their homes and where to go when an emergency
threatens. Listen to the advice of local officials. Decide whether it is better
to leave the area, stay with a friend or go to a public shelter. Each of these
decisions requires planning and preparation.
If you need a wheelchair:
Show friends how to operate your wheelchair so they can move you if
necessary.
Make sure your friends know the size of your wheelchair in case it has to be
transported.
Last Updated: Wednesday, 29-May-2002 15:24:00 EDT
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