EMERGENCY/DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Preparation and Planning If you or someone close to you have a disability or a special need, you may have to take additional steps to protect yourself and your family in an emergency. If you have special needs: Find out what type of special assistance that may be available from Disability Affairs and/or NEMA. Register with Disability Affairs, your local Police Station and Fire Department for assistance so that needed help can be provided. Accessible Shelter Locations There are two (2) accessible shelters located in New Providence.

1. Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled (B.A.P.D.) Dolphin Drive

2.Epworth Hall (located at Ebenezer Church) Shirley Street

Visually-impaired You may be extremely reluctant to leave familiar surroundings when the request for evacuation comes from a stranger during a disaster or an emergency. People who are blind or partially sighted may have to depend on others to lead them to safety during a disaster.

Hearing-impaired May need to make special arrangements, especially if electricity is disrupted [which would prevent signed warnings from being received], to receive warnings. If your electricity is disrupted, make sure that you have arranged with a trusted neighbour, a family member or a friend to provide you with this important information.

Mobility-impaired If you are in need of special assistance and/or transportation to get to an accessible shelter, please arrange ahead of time.

Persons with special dietary needs Take special precautions to have an adequate emergency food supply.

Persons with medical conditions If you are dependent on a dialysis machine or other life-sustaining equipment or treatment, make sure that you know the location and availability of more than one facility that can provide you with emergency service.

Check for hazards in the home During and right after a disaster, ordinary items in the home can cause injury or damage. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause fire is a home hazard. Check for broken water or gas lines and items such as bookcases, hanging pictures, or overhead lights that could fall in an earthquake or a flood and block an escape path. Be ready to evacuate Have a plan for getting out of your home or building (ask your neighbour, family or friends for assistance, if necessary). Also, plan two evacuation routes because some roads may be flooded, closed or blocked in a disaster.

• Create a network of neighbors, relatives, friends, and coworkers to aid you in an emergency. Discuss your needs and make sure everyone knows how to operate necessary equipment.

• If you are employed, discuss your needs with your employer.

• If you live in an apartment building, ask the management to mark accessible exits clearly. Also make arrangements to help you leave the building.

• Keep specialized items ready, including extra wheelchair charger/batteries, oxygen, catheters, medication, prescriptions and any other items you might need.

• Be sure to make provisions for medications that require refrigeration.

• Keep a list of the type and model numbers of the medical devices you require.

• Wear medical alert tags or bracelets to identify medical conditions such as diabetes.

• If you are dependent on a dialysis machine or other life-sustaining equipment or treatment, know the location and availability of more than one treatment facility. TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND MEDICAL CONCERNS DURING A DISASTER

Establish a Personal Support Network A personal support network can consist of friends, roommates, family members, relatives, personal attendants, co-workers and neighbors who will check in with you in an emergency to ensure you are OK and provide assistance if needed. Do not depend on any one person. Identify a minimum of three people at each location where you regularly spend your time: job, home, school, volunteer site, etc.

Personal assistants/attendants may not be available after a major disaster. Therefore, it is vital that your support network consist of people other than your assistants/attendants. If you employ an assistant/attendant, work with them to develop an emergency plan to determine how you will get along for as long as seven days. In spite of your best planning, sometimes a personal support network must be created on the spot. For example, you may find yourself in a shelter and in need of immediate assistance. Think about what you require, how you want things done and what kind of person you would select.

Seven Important Items to Discuss, Exchange and Practice with Your Personal Support Network 1. Make arrangements for your support network to immediately check on you after a disaster and, if needed, offer assistance.

2. Exchange important keys.

3. Show them where you keep emergency supplies.

4. Share copies of your emergency documents, evacuation plans and emergency health information.

5. Agree upon and practice a communications system (how to contact each other in an emergency). Do not count on the telephones working.

6. You and your personal support network should always notify each other when you are going out of town and when you will return.

7. The relationship should be mutual. Learn about each other's needs and how to help each other in an emergency.

Health Information Emergency health information communicates to rescuers what they need to know about you if they find you unconscious or incoherent, or if they need to quickly help evacuate you. Emergency health information should contain information about your medications, adaptive equipment, blood type, allergies and sensitivities, insurance numbers, national insurance number, immunization dates, communication difficulties and preferred treatment, as well as contact information for your health care providers, personal support network and emergency contacts. Make multiple copies of this information to keep in emergency supply kits, car, work, wallet, wheelchair pack, etc. This information should be updated every six months.

Emergency Contact List All family members should know to call your contact person to report your location and condition. The contact person should then relay messages to your other friends and relatives outside the disaster area. This will help to reduce calling into and out of the affected area once the phones are working.

Besides emergency contacts, your list should include your personal support network, equipment vendors, doctors, utility companies, employers, schools and day care centers [if you have children].

Emergency Documents This includes important information typically needed after a disaster. Store emergency documents [such as your health information, family records (birth, marriage and death certificates), wills, deeds, charge and bank accounts, insurance documentation, etc.] in a sealed freezer bag in your emergency supply kits. If you feel comfortable doing so, give copies to the people in your personal support network. Remember to place copies in a safe area. Be sure to update this information every six months as needed.

Conduct an Ability Self-Assessment Evaluate your capabilities, limitations and needs, as well as your surroundings to determine what type of help you will need in an emergency.

a. Will you be able to independently shut off the necessary utilities (gas, water, electricity)?

b. Do you know where shut-off valves are?

c. Can you get to them?

d. Can you find and use the right wrench to turn those handles if needed?

e. Can you operate a fire extinguisher? Have you practiced? Will extended handles make these items usable for you?

f. Will you be able to carry your evacuation kit? What do you need to do in order to carry it? How much can you carry? Do you have duplicates at other locations?

g. Have you moved or secured large objects that might block your escape path?

h. Write instructions for the following (keep a copy with you and share a copy with your personal support network):

- How to turn off your utilities (color-code or label them for quick identification), e.g. main gas valve, located next to the meter - blue; electrical power circuit breaker box - red; main water valve - green.

- If you have a reduced or limited sense of smell, alert your personal support network to check for gas leaks.

- How to operate and safely move your essential equipment? [Consider attaching simple instructions to your equipment].

- Do you know the proper way to safely transport you if you need to be carried, and include any areas of vulnerability.

- How to provide personal assistance services if needed.

- Remind anyone who assists you to practice strict cleanliness. With limited water and increased health hazards, the possibility of infection increases.

- Keep a supply of latex gloves in your emergency supply kit and ask people assisting you with personal hygiene to use them.

- List all personal care assistance needs (dressing, bathing, etc.) with instructions on how best to assist you.

- Make a map of where to find medications, aids and supplies, and share it with your personal support network.

i. How to evacuate:

a. As much as possible, clear obstacles from aisles and secure large, heavy items such as bookcases that may fall and block your path.

b. Plan alternate exits in case of unexpected blockage.

Communication: Practice Assertiveness Skills a. Take charge and practice how to quickly explain to people how to move your mobility aids or how to move you safely and rapidly.

b. Be prepared to give clear, specific and concise instructions and directions to rescue personnel: "Take my oxygen tank," "Take my wheelchair," "Take my gamma globulin from the freezer," "Take my communication device from under the bed."

c. Practice giving these instructions with the least amount of words in the least amount of time. For example, the traditional "fire fighter's carry" such as carrying you on their shoulder, may be hazardous for some people with respiratory weakness. You need to be able to give brief instructions regarding how to move you.

d. Be prepared to request an accommodation from disaster personnel, if necessary. For example, if you are unable to wait in long lines for such items as water, food and disaster relief applications, practice clearly and concisely explaining why you cannot wait.

"Carry-With-You" Supplies to Keep with You at All Times a. Packing suggestions: a fanny pack, back pack or drawstring bag which can be hung from a wheelchair, scooter or other assistive device.

b. Emergency Health Information.

c. Instructions on personal assistance needs and how best to provide them.

d. Copy of Emergency Documents.

e. Essential medications/copies of prescriptions (at least a week's supply).

f. Flashlight on key ring.

g. Signaling device (whistle, beeper, bell, flash-light).

h. Small battery-operated radio and extra batteries

Disability-Related Supplies to Add to Regular Emergency Kits

a. Plan for enough disability-related supplies to last for up to two weeks (medication syringes, colostomy supplies, respiratory aids, catheters, padding, distilled water, etc.). If you have chemical sensitivities or a respiratory or cardiac condition, store towels, masks, industrial respirators or other supplies you can use to filter your air supply. Do not expect shelters or first aid stations to meet your supply needs. In an emergency, supplies will be limited or unavailable.

b. Store supplies in areas you anticipate will be easy to reach after a disaster. If you are unable to afford extras, consider contacting your social worker at Disability Affairs, or your nearest health-care clinic. They may be able to assist you in gathering low-cost or no-cost emergency supplies and medications.

Medication It is best to maintain at least a 7-to-14-days supply of essential medications (heart, blood pressure, birth control, diabetic, psychiatric orphan drugs, etc.) and keep it with you at all times. If this is not possible, even a three-day supply would be extremely helpful. Work with your doctor(s) to obtain an extra supply of medications. Make several copies of your prescriptions and place one in each of your survival kits as well as your car kit and wallet. Ask your provider or pharmacist how to store your medication. Ask how often you should rotate stored supplies to ensure the effectiveness does not weaken. If you are on medications that are administered by a clinic or hospital (such as methadone, chemo or radiation therapy) ask your provider how you should plan for a 3-14 day disruption.

If you are a smoker, be aware that smoking is not allowed in shelters. If getting to an outside smoking area may be difficult for you, consider stocking your evacuation kit with nicotine gum or patches. Life in cramped shelters can increase the chances of pneumonia, influenza and colds. Stock your kits with vitamins or medications to guard against getting sick and to cope with being sick.

Equipment and Assistive Devices Keep important equipment and assistive devices in a consistent, convenient and secured place, so you can quickly and easily locate them. Make sure such items as false teeth, hearing aids, prosthesis, mobility aids, canes, crutches, walkers, respirators, service animal harnesses, augmentative communication devices or electronic communicators, artificial larynx, wheelchair, sanitary aids, batteries, eye glasses, contacts and cleaning solutions, etc., are secured. For example, keep these items in a container attached to your night stand or bed post, secure your oxygen tank to the wall, keep your wheelchair locked and close to bed, etc. so as to be easily accessible in the event of an evacuation. If you use a laptop computer as a means of communication, consider purchasing a power converter. A power converter allows most laptops to run from a cigarette lighter on the dashboard of a vehicle.

Personal Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Checklist

• Establish a personal support network

• Make a listing of all your important health information

• Make an emergency contact list

• Make copies of your emergency documents

• Store copies of your health information, national insurance card, contact list and emergency documents in a water resistant bag or container and place in a safe place. Give copies to members of your personal support network.

• Conduct an ability self-assessment

• Collect "carry-with-you supplies" during the year

• Prepare emergency kit/s with all of your disability-related supplies

• Maintain a seven day supply of essential medications

• Keep important equipment and assistive devices in consistent, convenient and secured places

• Write out instructions for items you will need help with in an emergency

Ability Self-Assessment Checklist

Evaluate your capabilities, limitations and needs, as well as your surroundings to determine what type of help you will need in an emergency.

Abilities Preparedness

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