Imagine being awakened at 2 in the morning by the shrill sound of your phone ringing. You answer the telephone only to discover it’s a reverse 911 call ordering you to evacuate your home immediately due to a gas leak in your neighborhood. Or the blizzard they’ve been predicting for the past few days has finally hit – and you’re stranded in your home. Don’t let panic take over; instead, start taking charge right now by following the guidelines below to get ready for whatever emergencies may happen.

Start Thinking about Your Game Plan
Emergency situations can be challenging – if not downright frightening – for anyone. But if you’re got a disability or special needs, things can sometimes move from challenging to life-threatening in short order. Who will help you get to a shelter if you’re mobility impaired? Who’s going to ensure you have the food and supplies you need if you’re confined to your home or apartment?

Understand What the Government Can – and Can’t -- Do
The federal government has several agencies in place to assist in an emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Dept. of Homeland Securtiy (DHS), is tasked with protecting the nation from all hazards and creating a comprehensive emergency management system. FEMA has disaster assistance employees available for deployment who work in partnership with state and local emergency management systems such as the Division/Department of Emergency Management (DEM) in each state and the Red Cross. These agencies provide crucial services covering preparedness, prevention, response and recovery for disasters.

However, although FEMA, and DEM play critical roles in emergency management at the national and state level, it’s unlikely their personnel are going to be able to assist you individually in your home or office. Which means you need to take responsibility for making sure you understand how to evacuate whatever building you might live and/or work in, including high-rises; ensuring you have all the food and supplies (including medical) you need on hand in the event of being confined to your home for an extended period of time; and making sure that you’ll be able to survive several days without gas, water, electricity and/or phone service.

Bottom line: You need to take care of yourself and do all the planning and preparation necessary to help yourself in the event of an emergency. The good news? We’re here to help.

Get Started Now: Your Four-Step Action Plan
The time to start planning your emergency preparedness plan is right now. True, thinking about having to cope with an emergency can be a bit unnerving and stressful. And yes, it takes time and effort, plus a bit of a cash outlay. However, the planning you do now may save your life in the future. Also, once you’re prepared and know you’re self-sufficient, you’ll feel more confident and less fearful if faced with an emergency.

As you begin to put together your plan, think about what kinds of events are likely to occur in your location. For example, depending on where you live, you may encounter tornadoes, lightning strikes, blizzards, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or wild fires.  Some of these may necessitate evacuation from your home or apartment, while others may leave you home-bound and isolated for days, possible without electricity, heat, or running water.

Regardless of the type of emergency however, experts agree that the following steps need to be taken before a disaster strikes in order to help save lives and reduce injuries. Specifics of each step follow.

1. Contact your state’s Department/Division of Emergency Management or Red Cross
2. Establish a personal support network
3. Create a family emergency evacuation/survival plan, and
4. Prepare emergency supply kits

Step One: Contact the Department of Emergency Management
Call your state’s Department/Division of Emergency Management (click here for a list of FEMA state offices and phone numbers) or Red Cross to find out the following information:

• which natural disasters (e.g., tornado, earthquake) could occur in your area and how to prepare for each,
• how would you be warned of an emergency (reverse 911 call, radio/television broadcast, siren),
• what are your community’s evacuation routes, and
• is assistance is available for people with disabilities or special needs

Also, ask if a list is kept of people with disabilities and/or special needs. If the answer is “yes,” make sure you’re added to the list so you can be located quickly in the event of an emergency.

Step Two: Establish a Personal Support Network
Establish a personal support network of people who will check on you or help during an emergency. This network should consist of very reliable friends, family, or co-workers, etc. Preferably, you should identify at least three people at each location where you spend time, such as your home, office, or school. If you use a personal assistance service, work with them to determine an emergency plan in addition to establishing your own network.

Experts suggest you discuss the following actions and arrangements with your personal support network:

• Ask them to call you immediately following an emergency to make sure you’re okay. They should be prepared to offer help if needed.
• Establish how to contact each other in an emergency; consider options if telephones aren’t working.
• Create an Emergency Health Information Card. Give a copy to your support network and put a copy in your Emergency Supply Kit. This card should include information about your medications, adaptive equipment, blood type, allergies, insurance numbers, social security number, immunization dates, communication difficulties and preferred treatment, and contact information for your health providers, personal support network, and emergency contacts.
• Show members of your personal support network where you keep emergency supplies.
• Make sure they know how your adaptive equipment works.
• Give them important keys.
• Notify your “network” when you go out of town and when you return.

Step Three: Establish and Practice Family Emergency Evacuation and Survival Plans

Involve all members of the family in creating your home emergency plan. Once you’re aware of the disasters that can occur in your area, discuss dangers and how to respond to each.

Experts suggest the following:

• Identify the safe areas of the house in the event of a natural disaster.
• Determine an escape route in case you have to evacuate. If you’re disabled or have other special needs, plan how you will escape and who will help you
• Determine two meeting places, one immediately outside your house in case you have to evacuate due to a house fire and another outside your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home.
• Arrange an out-of-state contact (relative or friend) everyone in your family can call if you become separated. Oftentimes, phone lines are tied up within the state following an emergency but calls can still be made out-of-state. This contact can help relay information to family members attempting to locate one another.
• Post Emergency Telephone Numbers by the phone and on cards everyone keeps with them at all times. The emergency telephone list should include names and phone numbers for the police and fire departments, hospital, family physicians, colleagues at work, support group members, nearest relative and/or local contact, out-of-state contact, and meeting place locations.
• Show each family member how to turn off water, gas and electricity at their main shut-off valve.
• Teach each family member how to use a fire extinguisher and make sure all smoke detectors are working properly.

What about the office? In addition to having an emergency plan at home, you need to have one for other places you spend time, such as work or school. You’ll want to pay special attention to building evacuation – how will you get out in the event of an emergency? Rely as much as possible on yourself and not others. And, of course, if you’re told to evacuate, do so immediately.

Engage building management in a discussion regarding evacuation procedures. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that building management include provisions for people with disabilities and special needs in their safety plans. As a result, you should contact building management representatives to find out whether a current emergency evacuation plan is in place. Review the plan to ensure it addresses issues related to individuals with disabilities. If there isn’t a plan, insist on the development of one and participate. You can be the expert on determining the accommodations for people with special needs and the equipment or assistive devices that are needed for safe evacuations.

As part of your plan, you’ll want to:

• Locate all emergency exits and, if possible, identify two ways to exit every room
• Ensure evacuation chairs are available at emergency exits. Ideally, have your own that you keep with you.
• Encourage management to train everyone how to use evacuation chairs.
• Make sure your Support Network knows exactly what help you need to evacuate safely. If you need special equipment, train your Support Network how to operate that equipment.
• Recommend regular practice drills. Everyone needs to participate in the drills and make sure they practice using needed equipment such as an evacuation chair. If you have a service dog, the dog should also be included in the drills.

Whether at home or at the office, In the event of an evacuation, listen to a battery-powered radio (part of your emergency supply kit) for evacuation information. According to the Red Cross, they have pre-arranged agreements with high schools, churches, and other community facilities. to use as evacuation shelters. Although 99% of these shelters are disability-accessible, they will notify the public via radio if there is a special-needs shelter that’s different from the one used by the general public.

Step Four: Prepare Emergency Supplies Kits
Everyone needs to have at least one Emergency Supplies Kit. Ideally, you should have three. One kit should be kept with you at all times, the second can be taken with you in case of an evacuation and the third is for your car. Store items in a backpack or a duffle bag – something easy to carry or to strap to a wheelchair or other assistive device. That way, your hands are free for holding your child’s hand, a pet’s leash or operating your wheelchair. These kits will take time to put together and will require a cash outlay. But remember, the time and money you put into preparing your kits and your home may save your life.

Dreading the prospect of pulling all this together? Why not have some fun with the preparation process by involving your friends. Have an Emergency Supplies Kit prep party requiring everyone to bring one or two items for the kit for each person. Exchange items and pack your bags. Be creative. Ask everyone to dig up their old backpacks and duffle bags that are no longer being used. Give any extras to those who do not have one. Make it fun!

We’ve created printable checklists for each of the emergency supply kits described below to share with your family members, support network friends, and office workers. So here’s your game plan of kits to create:

Emergency Supply Kit #1 – Keep with You at All Times
This kit is to be kept with you at all times. It includes basic information and documents that allow others to help you, and makes sure you can help yourself. Click here for your Emergency Kit checklist #1.  

Emergency Supply Kit #2 – Packed and Ready to Go from Your Home
Keep this kit at home; it can be ready for either evacuation or for use while you’re confined to your home in the event of an emergency. Click here for your printable Emergency Kit checklist #2.  

Emergency Supply Kit #3 – Car Survival Kit
You’ll keep this kit in your car at all times; you can either assemble this kit yourself or buy one that’s already pulled together everything you need in a single package. Click here for your printable Emergency Kit checklist #3.  

Start Preparing Today
Every season brings its own devastating stories of natural disasters and what happened when people were unprepared to cope with the event or its aftermath. There will always be disasters, some natural and others man-made. But by taking steps to prepare, you’ll be in a much better position to both help yourself and help those who want/need to assist you.

Consider this guide a starting point for what you need to do to get prepared. Because it cannot include all of the special needs unique to individual circumstance, you’ll want to think carefully about additional considerations specific to your situation. Naturally, you are the best person to assess and identify the additional items you need to protect yourself, and to let others know this information. So start your preparations now, and enjoy knowing you’ll be able to rely on yourself and others to weather emergencies. Yes, it takes time and effort to get prepared, but remember – the time and effort you spend now may one day save your life.

Resources 

www.disability911.com