Adaptive Steps

See also:
Caregiving
Accessibility
Emergency Management Issues


Specialised Topics on this subject:
Diabetes
Dialysis, Renal failure
Autism
Mobility
Cognitive
Communication
Hearing
Vision
DeafBlind
Service Animals
Utility Dependent
challenges related to aging
Health
Mental Health Consumers
Homeless or Emergency Housing

Adaptive Steps

Create a 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, or co-workers and ask for their help. For example, if you need help moving or help getting necessary prescriptions, food, or other essentials, or if you require special arrangements to receive emergency messages, make a plan with friends or helpers. Make sure they know where you keep your Disaster Supplies Kit. Give a key to a neighbor or friend who may be able to assist you in a disaster.

Maintain a list of important items and store the list with your Disaster Supplies Kit. Give a copy to another member of your household and a friend or neighbor. Important items might include: -Special equipment and supplies, for example, hearing aid batteries. -Current prescription names, sources, and dosages. -Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors and pharmacists. If you get prescriptions by mail, confirm where you will be able to get them locally in an emergency. -Detailed information about the specifications of your medication or medical regimen, including a list of things incompatible with medication you use, for example, aspirin.

Contact your local emergency management office now. Many local emergency management offices maintain registers of people with disabilities and their needs so they can be located and assisted quickly in a disaster.

Wear medical alert tags or bracelets to identify your disability in case of an emergency. These may save your life if you are in need of medical attention and unable to communicate.

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. There may be other people requiring equipment, or facilities may have been affected by the disaster.

Listen to the advice of local officials. 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. 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.

Overcoming Health Challenges

External Links

American Red Cross: Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/disability.pdf
non pdf: http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_603_,00.html

National Library of Medicine: Special Populations Emergency and Disaster Preparedness http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/specialpopulationsanddisasters.html

Emergency Preparedness: Taking Responsibility for Your Safety – Tips for People with Disabilities and Activity Limitations Emergency Survival Program: http://lacoa.org/PDF/ESP%2006/ESP%20Disabilities%20Guide%20FINAL%202006.pdf

Ready America - People with Disabilities and Other Special Needs
http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/disabled.html

Interactive map of disability and emergency preparedness resources
http://www.nod.org/EPIResources/interactive_map.html
Washington resources: http://www.nod.org/EPIResources/washington.html

Print your free computer generated Medical ID / Emergency Card
http://www.medids.com/free-id.php

Airplane Cabin Safety People with Disabilities http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/aircraft_aviation/cabin_safety/disabilities/

National Library of Medicine: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/specialpopulationsanddisasters.html

Disasters R Us Disability Preparedness: http://www.disastersrus.org/MyDisasters/disability/disability_preparedness.htm

Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network http://www.cepintdi.org/

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