Federal Emergency Management Agency 
Special Needs Program 
1997 to Present 


Marianne C. Jackson 
Federal Coordinating Officer 
Federal Emergency Management Agency 



Conference on Emergency Preparedness 
for Special Needs Populations 
New York City 
August 12-13 



A Look at Three Disasters 


• 
1997 Red River Flood 
-North Dakota 
• 
1998 Ice Storms New 
York State 
• 
9/11/01 – New York 
City 

Building 
Critical 
Relationships 
BuildingCritical 
Relationships 

On Presidential disaster declaration 

– FEMA-State Special Needs Teams 
– FEMA-State Disaster Recovery Centers 
– Equal Rights Offices 
– Emergency Managers 
– Social Services and Voluntary Agencies 
– Advocacy Groups 

Accessibility Accessibility 

Housing Housing 

Mr. G Mr. G 

Disaster 
Assistance 
Service 
Centers 
Disaster 
Assistance 
Service 
Centers 

Accessibility Issues at the JFO 

• Issues “within” the building important 
– Example: Mobility carts were needed for 
JFO length greater than a football field 
• Complete resolution of issues took persistence 
– Example: cart rules (Who? How? When? 
etc.) 
– Signage (At entrances and within DFO) 
• Evacuation plans need to be tailored to 
accommodate people with a disability 

DISASTER INFORMATION FOR 
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 



.
. 
You may qualify for disaster assistance if affected by the April 

storm. 
.
. 
Disaster aid will not affect your pension or other existing benefits. 
.
. 
Accepting assistance will not take help away from others. 

TO REGISTER FOR ASSISTANCE, 
CALL THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY 
AT 


800-621-FEMA (3362) 
(For TTY/TDD call 800-462-7585) 


Operators can assist you with: 

.
. 
Locating the nearest Disaster Recovery Center 
.
. 
Any special language needs 
.
. 
Follow-up after you register to check your status or to make 

changes 

INFORMATION needed when you call: 

.
. 
Social Security Number 
.
. 
Source of income (Employer, Pension, Disability, Etc.
) 
.
. 
Mailing address and current phone number 
.
. 
Current telephone number where you can be reached 
.
. 
Members in household 
.
. 
Extent of damages 


FOR NON-DISASTER, DISABILITY-RELATED ISSUES: You may contact 
the New York State Advocate’s Office for Persons with Disabilities 
toll-free at 1-800-522-4369 (Voice, TTY and Spanish). 


Local – State – Federal 
Joint Field Offices 
Local – State – Federal 
Joint Field Offices 

Iowa Floods 

Disaster Applications 

Total Registration 

35,722 


Total Special Needs 

625 

Hearing 

80 

Mental Health 

123 

Mobility 

354 

Vision 

146 

Other 

221 




Where we are 
now 
Where we are 
now 

Thanks for participating! 
Marianne C. Jackson 
Federal Coordinating Office 
FEMA Region II 
Thanks for participating! 
Marianne C. Jackson 
Federal Coordinating Office 
FEMA Region II