People with Disabilities and Specific Needs
The City of Seattle is a highly diverse community made up of individuals from unique backgrounds, speaking a variety of languages and possessing different abilities. For these individuals barriers may exist to obtaining information before, during, and after an emergency, making them more vulnerable to a disaster's impact. Because of this, it is important to make information accessible so that the strengths and needs of all communities are addressed.
When developing a disaster plan individuals may want to consider establishing a Personal Support Team (PST) at home, work and every place he/she spends a lot of time. A PST is made up of at least three people who are within walking distance and can assist immediately following a major event.
Team members will need to know:
- How to enter your home to check on you in case you are injured or trapped and cannot get to the door,
- Be familiar with your schedule,
- Special information regarding your care,
- How to operate any necessary equipment, and
- What your daily schedule and routines are
Planning ahead of the disaster will make getting through and thriving in the aftermath much easier.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
It is important for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Consider your daily activities and think about how a disaster will impact your life. Take into consideration what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of assistance may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs.
Hearing Aids
- Store hearing aid (s) in a strategic, consistent and secured location so they can be found and used after a disaster. For example, consider storing them in a container by your bedside, which is attached to a nightstand or bedpost using a string or Velcro. Missing or damaged hearing aids will be difficult to replace or fix immediately after a major disaster.
- If available put an extra hearing aid in your emergency supply kit
Batteries
- Store extra batteries for hearing aids and implants
- Maintain TTY batteries
- Store extra batteries for your TTY and light phone signaler
Communication
- Have more than one method to receive warnings and evacuation information.
- Determine how you will communicate with emergency personnel if there is no interpreter or if you don't have your hearing aids. Store paper and pens for this purpose.
- Consider carrying a pre-printed copy of important messages with you, such as:
- "I speak American Sign Language (ASL) and need an interpreter"
- "I do not write or read English"
- "If you make announcements, I will need to have them written or signed"
- If possible, obtain a battery-operated television that has a decoder chip for access to signed or captioned emergency reports.
- Determine which broadcasting systems will be accessible in terms of continuous news that can be captioned and/or signed. Advocate so that television stations have a plan to secure emergency interpreters for on-camera emergency duty.
Alarms
- Install both audible alarms and visual smoke alarms. At least one should be battery operated.
Advocacy
- Recruit interpreters to be Red Cross emergency volunteers.
- Maintain advocacy for TV stations to broadcast all news and emergency information in open caption format.
- When you travel, ensure hotels have services for deaf and hearing-impaired persons, including audible alarms. Ask for them when you check in.
Download Print friendly version
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
Mobility Concerns
It is important for individuals who need special equipment or help with mobility to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs. During earthquakes, furniture can shift and decorations can fall making it difficult to navigate the room.
Storage
- Store emergency supplies in a pack or backpack attached to a walker, wheelchair or scooter.
- Store needed mobility aids (canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs) close to you in a consistent, convenient and secured location. Keep extra aids in several locations, if possible.
Emergency supply kit
- Keep a pair of heavy gloves in your supply kit to use while wheeling or making your way over glass or debris.
- If you use a motorized wheelchair or scooter, consider having an extra battery available. A car battery can be substituted for a wheelchair battery, but this type of battery will not last as long as a wheelchair's deep-cycle battery. Check with your vendor to see if you will be able to charge batteries by either connecting jumper cables to a vehicle battery or by connecting batteries to a specific type of converter that plugs into your vehicle's cigarette lighter in the event of loss of electricity.
- If your chair does not have puncture-proof tires, keep a patch kit or can of "seal-in-air" product to repair flat tires, or keep an extra supply of inner tubes.
- Store a lightweight manual wheelchair, if available.
- Make sure furniture is secured so that it doesn't block the pathways you normally travel.
- If you spend time above the first floor of a building with an elevator, plan and practice using alternative methods of evacuation. If needed, enlist the help of your personal support network.
- If you cannot use stairs, discuss lifting and carrying techniques that will work for you. There will be times when wheelchair users will have to leave their chairs behind in order to safely evacuate a structure.
- Sometimes transporting someone down stairs is not a practical solution unless there are at least two or more strong people to control the chair. Therefore, it is very important to discuss the safest way to transport you if you need to be carried, and alert them to any areas of vulnerability. For example, the traditional "fire fighter's carry" may be hazardous for some people with respiratory weakness.
- Be prepared to give brief instructions on the best ways to move you.
Click here for a print friendly version of this information
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
Medical needs
It is important for individuals who rely on specific medical care to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you are able to do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information and resources may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs.
Medications
- Always have at least 7-10 day supply of all your medications
- Store your medication in one location in their original containers.
- Have a list of all your medications: name of medication, dose, frequency, and the name of the prescribing doctor
Medical Supplies
- Have an extra 7-10 day supply of any medical supplies you use, such as bandages, ostomy bags, or syringes
Electrically powered medical equipment
- For all medical equipment requiring electrical power - beds, breathing equipment, or infusion pumps, check with your medical supply company and get information regarding a back-up power source, such as a battery or generator.
- Oxygen and breathing equipment
- If you use oxygen, have an emergency supply (enough for 7-10 days)
- Oxygen tanks should be securely braced so they do not fall over. Call your medical supply company regarding bracing instructions.
- If you use breathing equipment, have a 7-10 day supply or more of tubing, solutions, medication, etc.
Emergency Kit
In the event that you have to leave your home, have a bag packed at all times that contains:
- A medication list
- Medical supplies for at least 7-10 days
- Copies of vital medical papers such as insurance cards, power of attorney, etc.
People who can help
- An important part of being prepared for a disaster is planning with family, friends and neighbors. Know who could walk to your home to assist you if other means of transportation are unavailable.
- Discuss your disaster plans with your home health care provider
- Keep a list handy of people who can help and their phone numbers.
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
Aging
The first step in planning is to consider your day to day routine and how a disaster would impact your ability to continue those routines. The next step is to create a network of neighbors, relatives, and friends to assist you in an emergency. Discuss your needs with them and make sure that they know how to operate any equipment that you may rely on.
Put together an emergency kit. Your kit should include:
- The basics: food, water, warm clothes, light source and radio
- Specialized items such as; batteries for wheelchairs, oxygen, catheters, etc.
- A 7-10 day supply of any medications you take and a plan if any of your medicines require refrigeration.
- An extra pair of glasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries
- A copy of your medical insurance and Medicare/Medicaid cards
- A list of the type and model numbers of medical devices you require.
If you undergo routine medical treatments talk with your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up services both in the area you live and in any potential evacuation locations.
Lastly, don't forget about your pets or service animals. Having a plan for them is as important as having one for yourself.
For more information download Preparing Make Sense for Older Adults
Blind/Low Vision
It is important for individuals who are blind or have low vision to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs. In Earthquakes, furniture can shift and decorations can fall making it difficult to navigate the room. Move more slowly and check for obstacles in the way. Consider shuffling your feet if there is a lot of debris on the ground.
Canes
- If you use a cane, keep extras in strategic, consistent and secured location at work, home, school, volunteer site, etc., to help you maneuver around obstacles and hazards.
- Keep a spare in your emergency kit.
Alternate mobility cues
- If you have some vision, place security lights in each room to light paths of travel. These lights plug into electric wall outlets and light up automatically if there is a loss of power. They will, depending on type, continue to operate automatically for 1 to 6 hours and can be turned off manual and used as a short-lasting flashlight.
- Store high-powered flashlights with wide beams and extra batteries.
- Plan for losing the auditory clues you usually rely on after a major disaster.
- Service animals may become confused, panicked, frightened or disoriented during and after a disaster. Keep them confined or securely leashed or harnessed. A leash/harness is an important item for managing a nervous or upset animal. Be prepared to use alternative ways to negotiate your environment.
Label supplies
- If helpful, mark emergency supplies with large print, fluorescent tape or braille.
Secure computers
- Anchor special equipment and large pieces of furniture, such as computers and shelving. Create a computer back-up system for important data and store it off site.
Advocacy issues
- Advocate that TV news not only post important phone numbers, but also announce them slowly and repeat them frequently for people who cannot read the screen.
Download print friendly version
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
People with Disabilities
It is important for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Consider your daily activities and think about how a disaster will impact your life. Take into consideration what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of assistance may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs.
Hearing Aids
- Store hearing aid (s) in a strategic, consistent and secured location so they can be found and used after a disaster. For example, consider storing them in a container by your bedside, which is attached to a nightstand or bedpost using a string or Velcro. Missing or damaged hearing aids will be difficult to replace or fix immediately after a major disaster.
- If available put an extra hearing aid in your emergency supply kit
Batteries
- Store extra batteries for hearing aids and implants
- Maintain TTY batteries
- Store extra batteries for your TTY and light phone signaler
Communication
- Have more than one method to receive warnings and evacuation information.
- Determine how you will communicate with emergency personnel if there is no interpreter or if you don't have your hearing aids. Store paper and pens for this purpose.
- Consider carrying a pre-printed copy of important messages with you, such as:
- "I speak American Sign Language (ASL) and need an interpreter"
- "I do not write or read English"
- "If you make announcements, I will need to have them written or signed"
- If possible, obtain a battery-operated television that has a decoder chip for access to signed or captioned emergency reports.
- Determine which broadcasting systems will be accessible in terms of continuous news that can be captioned and/or signed. Advocate so that television stations have a plan to secure emergency interpreters for on-camera emergency duty.
Alarms
- Install both audible alarms and visual smoke alarms. At least one should be battery operated.
Advocacy
- Recruit interpreters to be Red Cross emergency volunteers.
- Maintain advocacy for TV stations to broadcast all news and emergency information in open caption format.
- When you travel, ensure hotels have services for deaf and hearing-impaired persons, including audible alarms. Ask for them when you check in.
Download Print friendly version
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
It is important for individuals who need special equipment or help with mobility to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs. During earthquakes, furniture can shift and decorations can fall making it difficult to navigate the room.
- Store emergency supplies in a pack or backpack attached to a walker, wheelchair or scooter.
- Store needed mobility aids (canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs) close to you in a consistent, convenient and secured location. Keep extra aids in several locations, if possible.
- Keep a pair of heavy gloves in your supply kit to use while wheeling or making your way over glass or debris.
- If you use a motorized wheelchair or scooter, consider having an extra battery available. A car battery can be substituted for a wheelchair battery, but this type of battery will not last as long as a wheelchair's deep-cycle battery. Check with your vendor to see if you will be able to charge batteries by either connecting jumper cables to a vehicle battery or by connecting batteries to a specific type of converter that plugs into your vehicle's cigarette lighter in the event of loss of electricity.
- If your chair does not have puncture-proof tires, keep a patch kit or can of "seal-in-air" product to repair flat tires, or keep an extra supply of inner tubes.
- Store a lightweight manual wheelchair, if available.
- Make sure furniture is secured so that it doesn't block the pathways you normally travel.
- If you spend time above the first floor of a building with an elevator, plan and practice using alternative methods of evacuation. If needed, enlist the help of your personal support network.
- If you cannot use stairs, discuss lifting and carrying techniques that will work for you. There will be times when wheelchair users will have to leave their chairs behind in order to safely evacuate a structure.
- Sometimes transporting someone down stairs is not a practical solution unless there are at least two or more strong people to control the chair. Therefore, it is very important to discuss the safest way to transport you if you need to be carried, and alert them to any areas of vulnerability. For example, the traditional "fire fighter's carry" may be hazardous for some people with respiratory weakness.
- Be prepared to give brief instructions on the best ways to move you.
Click here for a print friendly version of this information
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
It is important for individuals who rely on specific medical care to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you are able to do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information and resources may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs.
Medications
- Always have at least 7-10 day supply of all your medications
- Store your medication in one location in their original containers.
- Have a list of all your medications: name of medication, dose, frequency, and the name of the prescribing doctor
Medical Supplies
- Have an extra 7-10 day supply of any medical supplies you use, such as bandages, ostomy bags, or syringes
Electrically powered medical equipment
- For all medical equipment requiring electrical power - beds, breathing equipment, or infusion pumps, check with your medical supply company and get information regarding a back-up power source, such as a battery or generator.
- Oxygen and breathing equipment
- If you use oxygen, have an emergency supply (enough for 7-10 days)
- Oxygen tanks should be securely braced so they do not fall over. Call your medical supply company regarding bracing instructions.
- If you use breathing equipment, have a 7-10 day supply or more of tubing, solutions, medication, etc.
Emergency Kit
In the event that you have to leave your home, have a bag packed at all times that contains:
- A medication list
- Medical supplies for at least 7-10 days
- Copies of vital medical papers such as insurance cards, power of attorney, etc.
People who can help
- An important part of being prepared for a disaster is planning with family, friends and neighbors. Know who could walk to your home to assist you if other means of transportation are unavailable.
- Discuss your disaster plans with your home health care provider
- Keep a list handy of people who can help and their phone numbers.
Information provided by Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco
The first step in planning is to consider your day to day routine and how a disaster would impact your ability to continue those routines. The next step is to create a network of neighbors, relatives, and friends to assist you in an emergency. Discuss your needs with them and make sure that they know how to operate any equipment that you may rely on.
Put together an emergency kit. Your kit should include:
- The basics: food, water, warm clothes, light source and radio
- Specialized items such as; batteries for wheelchairs, oxygen, catheters, etc.
- A 7-10 day supply of any medications you take and a plan if any of your medicines require refrigeration.
- An extra pair of glasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries
- A copy of your medical insurance and Medicare/Medicaid cards
- A list of the type and model numbers of medical devices you require.
If you undergo routine medical treatments talk with your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up services both in the area you live and in any potential evacuation locations.
Lastly, don't forget about your pets or service animals. Having a plan for them is as important as having one for yourself.
For more information download Preparing Make Sense for Older Adults
It is important for individuals who are blind or have low vision to have a plan to ensure that a disaster does not impact their day to day care. Think about your daily activities and how a disaster will impact your life. Think about what you do independently and where you may need assistance. Keep in mind that your regular sources of information may not be available after a disaster. Plan now for how you will meet your needs. In Earthquakes, furniture can shift and decorations can fall making it difficult to navigate the room. Move more slowly and check for obstacles in the way. Consider shuffling your feet if there is a lot of debris on the ground.
Canes
- If you use a cane, keep extras in strategic, consistent and secured location at work, home, school, volunteer site, etc., to help you maneuver around obstacles and hazards.
- Keep a spare in your emergency kit.
Alternate mobility cues
- If you have some vision, place security lights in each room to light paths of travel. These lights plug into electric wall outlets and light up automatically if there is a loss of power. They will, depending on type, continue to operate automatically for 1 to 6 hours and can be turned off manual and used as a short-lasting flashlight.
- Store high-powered flashlights with wide beams and extra batteries.
- Plan for losing the auditory clues you usually rely on after a major disaster.
- Service animals may become confused, panicked, frightened or disoriented during and after a disaster. Keep them confined or securely leashed or harnessed. A leash/harness is an important item for managing a nervous or upset animal. Be prepared to use alternative ways to negotiate your environment.
Label supplies
- If helpful, mark emergency supplies with large print, fluorescent tape or braille.
Secure computers
- Anchor special equipment and large pieces of furniture, such as computers and shelving. Create a computer back-up system for important data and store it off site.
Advocacy issues
- Advocate that TV news not only post important phone numbers, but also announce them slowly and repeat them frequently for people who cannot read the screen.
Download print friendly version