Experts discuss emergency planning for those with special needs

A panel of emergency management experts met at Bergen Community College in Paramus on Dec. 2 to discuss how governments can properly plan for the well-being of disabled residents in the event of a disaster.

With Hurricane Irene and the early snowstorm both hitting Bergen County hard within months of each other, municipalities across the state and country are taking a look at their planning for future emergencies, according to the panelists. They are also placing a new focus on the needs of disabled residents, who need to be incorporated into preliminary planning and cannot be left out of the process.

"This is a priority. This is something we talk about on a regular basis," said Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn, who helped organize the event. "What we hope to do today is to really start a community-wide conversation, an opportunity to share lessons learned, things that work and don't work."

The community as a whole needs to come together to make sure everyone stays safe during a disaster, according to FEMA Regional Disability Integration Specialist James Flemming. Everyone has a stake in safety during times of emergency, and they need to work together to make the community as a whole better prepared, Flemming said.

"You know better than I what happened here when Hurricane Irene hit," he said. "That is not the time for people to hold onto their turf. That is not the time for people to say, 'Well that is not my job.'"

FEMA, as well as other branches of government, are already reaching out to entire communities when making their preparations, according to Marcie Roth, director of FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (OCDI). Modifying a plan then changing it for people with disabilities will not adequately take into account everyone's needs, which can lead to dangerous situations in an emergency, including the death of residents who do not have the means for proper evacuation.

"If we wait and plan for people with disabilities after we write the basic plan, we fail," Roth said, quoting FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. "It's time that children, people with disabilities, or any other segment of our communities who are traditionally underserved be more fully and consistently integrated into planning and preparedness on every level of government."

There are about 56 million people with disabilities in the country, about 20 percent of the population, according to Roth. A full 50 percent of the population has regular health maintenance needs, such as a reliance on prescription medication. In some communities, these numbers are even higher, making it all the more important that the government work with the community to make sure they are planning for emergency preparedness with every contingency in mind.

"If we're planning for 20 percent, we're going to fall very short of the mark," Roth said. "We need to know in any given community what percentage of the population to plan for, and we need to know we're planning for that entire population inclusive of that percentage of the population who are people with disabilities."

To this end, FEMA has started the ODCI, which does not just plan for disasters, but rather works "to integrate the access of people with disabilities into all aspects of preparedness," Roth said. The work does not just benefit people with disabilities, as the updated, better prepared plans allow emergency management teams to do more with their limited resources for entire communities.

"We move away from this notion that people with disabilities are a liability. That of course becomes a multiplier," Roth said. "We, the federal government, we, the state government, and we, the local government are a team. The team is the whole community, and we need everybody to see themselves as an emergency manager."

Through the participation of individuals throughout the entire process, the safety of individuals both with and without disabilities is improved, officials said. It is not simply enough to discuss safety plans with friends and neighbors; unless local emergency management officials are made aware of potential problems for when a disaster strikes, they may not be able to respond in time, Roth said.

"We need people like you to take this very, very seriously; to work in your community, and not just with one or two or a small group of people," Roth said.

E-mail: wassel@northjersey.com