Individuals with special needs must take extra precautions during an emergency
BLACKSBURG, Va., Oct. 3, 2007 – Everyone needs to plan for the worst. Virginia Cooperative Extension encourages individuals with special needs not only to have plans in place for possible emergencies but also to consider what capabilities and limitations they might have after a disaster.
“It is important to remember that the usual methods of support and assistance may not be available for some time during an evacuation and after a disaster has occurred,” said Bobby Grisso, Extension engineer.
Grisso encourages individuals with special needs to make a personal disaster plan to help organize necessary information and activities during and after a disaster and share their disaster plan with their support network. Keep copies of your disaster plan in your disaster supplies kit, car, wallet (behind driver’s license or primary identification card), wheelchair pack, or at work.
“Identify safe places to go,” Grisso said. “If there is a hurricane or flood and local officials have not told you to leave the area, stay upstairs and in the middle of the building, away from windows. Avoid going to the lowest floor because of possible flooding in the house. If you are blind or visually impaired, use a long cane in areas where debris may have fallen or furniture may have shifted. This is recommended even if you do not usually use a cane indoors.” Grisso adds that individuals with disabilities should keep service animals with them in a safe place at home or take them to a shelter.
Find the location of main utility cutoff valves and switches in your home. Learn how and when to shut them off during an emergency. Try to do this yourself without shutting off the gas. If you cannot practice alone, arrange for your network to help. Turn off utilities only if local officials tell you to do so or if you believe there is an immediate threat to life.
“Identify as many exits as possible from each room and from your building,” Grisso said. “Be sure to include the windows as exits.”
Make a floor plan of your home, including primary escape routes. You may want your network to assist you with it. On the floor plan, mark the rooms where you spend a lot of time. Also, mark where your disaster supplies kit is located. Give a copy of the floor plan to your network to help them find you and your supplies, if necessary.
Prepare an evacuation plan beforehand, Grisso advised. If you have to leave your home or workplace, you may need someone’s help to evacuate safely, especially down stairwells. If you need assistance during an emergency and your network is not available, find helpers and tell them about your condition. Give them instructions on what you need and how they can help you evacuate.
Practice different ways out of a building, especially if you are above the first floor in a building with many stories. Remember, the elevator may not work or should not be used.
If you need devices for an emergency escape, think about your physical capabilities before making a purchase. Store devices nearby, where you can get to them easily. This may mean having more than one emergency escape device available, according to Grisso.
Advocate for yourself. Practice how to quickly explain the best way to guide or move you and your adaptive equipment, safely and rapidly. Be ready to give brief, clear, and specific instructions and directions to rescue personnel, either orally or in writing, such as:
- “Please take my oxygen tank.”
- “… wheelchair.”
- “… gamma globulin from the freezer.”
- “… insulin from the refrigerator.”
- “… communication device from under the bed.”
- “I am blind/visually impaired. Please let me grasp your arm firmly.”
- “I am deaf. Please write things down for me.”
When needed, ask for an accommodation from disaster response personnel. For example, let a responder or relief worker know if you cannot wait in lines for long periods of time for items like water, food, and disaster relief assistance.
“Keep a small disaster supplies kit in your automobile and maintain more than a half tank of fuel at all times,” Grisso said. “If you do not drive, talk with your network about how you will leave the area if the authorities advise an evacuation.”
Become familiar with the emergency or disaster/evacuation plan for your office, school, or any other location where you spend a significant amount of time. If the current plan does not make arrangements for people with disabilities, make sure the management at these sites knows your needs.
Choose an alternate place to stay, such as with friends, family, or at a hotel or motel outside your area if you are told to leave your home. You may have enough early warning time (as with a slow-rising flood or hurricane) to leave before the disaster occurs. Find out if there are designated shelters in your area and where they are, Grisso said.
For more information, Ready.gov has resources for older Americans and resources for people with disabilities and other special needs.
Contact: Bobby Grisso
Virginia Cooperative Extension engineer
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-6538
rgrisso@vt.edu
Contact: Michael Sutphin
Writer
Communications and Marketing
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-6975
msutphin@vt.edu