General Planning Tips - Preparedness

During emergencies, there may not be much time for individuals and responders to react. Therefore, it is important to have emergency plans in place ahead of an event. This is particularly important for people who may need more time to react to a situation. To prepare their community, emergency planners should consider the following:

Use existing data to map disabilities. The U.S. Census Bureau maintains and collects data on the country's population. They compile self-reported numbers and features of people in communities, including those with disabilities. State planners can use this information to predict the needs within a community. Knowing the needs of a community will help:

Secure accessible vehicles and shelters
Communicate with multicultural and limited-English speaking populations.
Stockpile basic supplies. Stockpiles might include food, water, prescription and non-prescription medications, and first aid supplies.

To access the Census 2000 data, go to www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html.

Locate people with disabilities in your community. According to the National Organization on Disability, there are many groups that planners can work with to identify the needs of their community. These include:

National disability organizations and/or their local affiliates.
The State Vocational and Rehabilitation Agencies. Part of their work is to introduce volunteer and public service organizations to their clients. See The Federal Consumer Information Center's online list of State Vocational and Rehabilitation Agencies or:
- Search the Internet using a phrase such as "[your state] Vocational Rehabilitation."
- Look in the Government pages of your local phone book for state or local listings such as "Rehabilitation Services Administration" or "Rehabilitation Information."
There are several hundred Centers for Independent Living (CIL) across the country. CILs are community-based resource and advocacy centers managed by and for people with disabilities. They promote independent living and equal access for all persons. This includes those with physical, mental, cognitive, and sensory disabilities. To find the CIL serving an area, go to www.virtualcil.net/cils, and click on a state.
Contact your state or local government's committee, commission, or council on disabilities. These are often part of the Governor's office or Cabinet.
Contact Department of Veterans' Affairs facilities in your state. These agencies serve people with disabilities.
Contact your local ADA coordinator, who usually can be located through the Mayor's office or county government office.
Contact local church, synagogue, mosque, etc. congregations, which may be aware of specific community members with disabilities.
Contact university disability services to learn more about their communities.
Ask professionals who serve people with disabilities if they can participate in emergency planning. They may also be able to suggest other resources. These may include special education teachers, occupational, physical, or speech therapists. The National Rehabilitation Association may be able to offer additional help.

Reach out to the community. It is important to consider the needs of the community in an emergency plan. Planners should reach out to people with disabilities to learn their challenges and concerns. By working together, planners and people with disabilities can support the needs of a community. Topics for discussion include:

Planning to evacuate the home
Basic and unique supplies needed to shelter-in-place
Increased demand on assistance services
Access to personal support networks
Alternatives for assistance services
Emotional trauma
Physical risks and care
Loss of or damage to possessions
Confusion caused by the disaster
Risk and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress syndrome

Partner with disability agencies. There are groups that serve people with disabilities on a daily basis. They can be valuable sources of information and resources to include in the planning process. These groups usually know where to find those with disabilities and how to contact them, if necessary. Many have specialized staff that can provide insight into the particular needs, wants, and feelings of people with disabilities. By creating partnerships with these agencies, planners can:

Confirm numbers and locations of people with disabilities
Understand challenges for each disability type
Identify gaps and failures in planning and responding
Establish special task forces to correct plans
Increase the level of trust that various groups have in emergency plans
Learn how to communicate with individuals with disabilities in an effective and compassionate way
Communicate the need for preparedness in a way that reaches the entire population

Create a voluntary registry of special needs. It may be helpful for emergency plans to include lists of individuals and any disabilities they may have so that responders can quickly find and help those who may not be able to help themselves. Disabilities registries can be used to:

Personally tell people that a disastrous event is coming
Locate people who require help in evacuating
Bring supplies to people who shelter-in-place
Check-in on people after a crisis event has passed

A registry would contain the names and contact information of people with disabilities. It may also list a person's disability (or disabilities) and any supports they depend on. Planners may develop these registries in a variety of ways, but a simple approach to ensuring compliance with state or other laws related to health information privacy would be to obtain the information in the registry voluntarily and directly from the consumer. Emergency planners may also work with health care providers and service agencies to obtain the information. Guidance on how health information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, Privacy Rule may be available for this and other emergency planning purposes is available on the HHS Office for Civil Rights website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/decisiontool/.

Since some people with disabilities may choose not to share their information, disabilities registries may be incomplete. Planners should use voluntary registries only as guides and not as definitive or exhaustive lists. Work with disabilities groups and agencies to compile these lists and keep them up to date.

Case Study: The disabilities registry in Louisiana, created after Hurricane Katrina, provides a strong link to the community. To register, residents can call a 311-information hotline and report their disabilities. Operators will record the caller's contact information, number of people to evacuate, and the disabilities of each. Operators create a case file for the registrant and forward it for input into the database. A postcard is then sent to the registrant with information on how and where to access transportation, when to call back with information updates, and a list of supplies to bring with in an evacuation.

Lesson Learned: This database helps individuals register in an accessible way. Planners use the information to make inclusive emergency plans for their community. Furthermore, the registration process helps emergency management communicate up-to-date preparedness information directly to people with disabilities.

Train responders and volunteers before an event. There is not enough time to train people to aid those with disabilities during an event. Therefore, responders and volunteers must be trained prior to the disaster. Course topics could include (but is not limited to):

Basic life support measures by type of special need
Common functions and ways to operate specialized medical or support equipment
Proper sterilization procedures for durable medical equipment (DME)
Techniques to feed, bathe, and care for those who require assistance in their homes or in shelters
Means to transport those who have mobility limitations down stairs or over long distances
Ways to communicate with those who cannot understand the spoken language of the aid provider

Practice and exercise all plans. Practice is important to ensuring plans and protocols are effective. It can also help volunteers and responders become more familiar with their duties. Therefore, it is important that they drill and exercise with disabilities groups and caregivers to practice their skills. Topics for drills and exercises may include (but is not limited to):

Evacuating a house, an office, or an apartment building
Carrying a person down the stairs
Dispensing goods to people in different areas
Communicating with disabilities groups