Preparing for an Emergency and

Coping with Disasters

 When Someone You Love Has Disabilities

• Assisting People With Disabilities In A Disaster - People with disabilities who are self-sufficient under normal circumstances may have to rely on the help of others in a disaster.

• Disaster Preparedness For People With Disabilities - Being prepared for emergencies can reduce the fear, panic, and inconvenience that surrounds a disaster.

• The Department of Transportation is dedicated to ensuring the highest level of emergency preparedness in the event of a disaster. During an emergency, persons with disabilities may require (1) additional assistance with evacuation and (2) using transportation to get to a safe place.

• Coping With Disaster: Suggestions for Helping Children With Cognitive Disabilities - This guide provides suggestions for helping children with cognitive impairments or delays to cope with this disaster. Like everyone, children with disabilities have fears and concerns unique to their experiences and skills. This guide includes general information about what to expect. It provides strategies for caregivers and teachers to use with children with mental retardation, autism, or other disabilities affecting learning, communication, and understanding.

• Conference Binder On Emergency preparedness for People with Disabilities -Presented by The National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the National Organization on Disability.

• Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities - Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities has been designed to help people who have physical, visual, auditory, or cognitive disabilities to prepare for natural disasters and their consequences.  Information has been published about disaster preparation for people with disabilities, and relevant documents, guidelines, and other materials have been reviewed and added, as appropriate, in this updated booklet. Anyone who has a disability or anyone who works with, lives with, or assists a person with a disability can use this booklet.

• DISASTER! If you have a disability, the forces of nature can be meaner to you than anyone else. But you can fight back. Be prepared.

• AAP - Emergency Preparedness for Families of Children with Special Needs - In our rapidly changing high tech health care environment, children with very special health care needs are increasing. Kids with high tech gear such as ventriculoperitoneal shunts, gastrostomy tubes, indwelling central lines, tracheostomies, pacemakers, and home ventilators are becoming common in the community. Children with very complex and difficult health care needs which not only include rare genetic and metabolic problems but also those with difficult to manage asthma, diabetes, sickle cell disease, malignancies, and a variety of other problems are increasing.

• Emergency Preparedness for Families of Children with Special Needs - For families of children with special needs it can become even more difficult. Planning for how you will respond is critical and may mean extra attention to details and needs that others may not have to worry about. We need to take care of equipment, medication,  go to special shelters, and notify doctors just to name a few. (Adobe Acrobat Reader )

• Emergency Information about Your Child Form (Adobe Acrobat Reader )

• The Emergency Preparedness Initiative Guide for Emergency Managers, Planners & Responders is available in both text and PDF formats. People with disabilities, whose very lives depend on thorough planning for emergencies, must be involved in this planning. We urge officials at all levels to recognize the innate resourcefulness, ingenuity and determination gained through the daily challenges of disability that can help the community at large and enhance the effectiveness of emergency operations.

• Autism Risk Management - Research indicates that persons with developmental disabilities, including a rapidly rising autism population, are approximately seven times more likely to come in contact with law enforcement professionals than others. Police and first response professionals will meet children and adults with autism in field situations.

• Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities - One of the most important roles of local government is to protect their citizenry from harm, including helping people prepare for and respond to emergencies. Making local government emergency preparedness and response programs accessible to people with disabilities is a critical part of this responsibility. Making these programs accessible is also required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).