Presentation Title Goes Here Disaster Preparedness Planning for Special Populations Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Public Health Preparedness July 22, 2009

Vision In advance of an emergency, man made or natural, special populations, agencies, and organizations in Pennsylvania will work together to support a system that provides accessible information and resources needed to protect, prevent/prepare, respond, and recover.

Assumptions In the event of a public health emergency, all citizens in the Commonwealth, especially individuals with special needs, will be informed, engaged and be prepared at any given time for protection of life and property.

Personal Preparedness Personal preparedness is the preparation and planning necessary to effectively handle an emergency. It involves individuals developing an emergency plan that identifies services they require, and what resources they need to have on hand in case of an emergency. Emergency plans should be written and given to loved ones, care givers and other relevant parties.

Who may have special needs? Those with: Impaired physical mobility a functional disability such as blindness; persons who are deaf, blind-deaf, hard of hearing Chronic health conditions a developmental disability, or mental illness; persons who may be limited or non-English speaking medically or chemically dependencies Social or economic limitations that interfere with their ability to prepare for disasters and to respond and adapt during such events.

Why Special Populations? Those populations with the greatest needs and at the greatest risk often are outside the normal mechanisms for preparedness planning. Preparedness and response assets must be developed with the capacity to reach every citizen. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH), Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP) is currently developing a preparedness and response plan for support of Special Populations.

Consider this In advance of an emergency, individuals must be prepared. Information and emergency response systems must be designed for all people regardless of their abilities and disabilities. Disasters will bring out special needs in other wise normal individuals who will then require special assistance. People with special needs must be involved in all aspects of emergency planning, and their advocates must participate and contribute to the emergency response efforts.

Are you prepared? What You Can Do Now To Be Prepared For An Emergency Be Informed Make a Plan Get a Kit

Be Informed Know Identify the disasters most likely for your area Plan Identify ways to prepare for disaster React If a disaster strikes, identify what actions may keep you safe

Make a Plan First Steps Create a personal assessment. Decide what you will be able to do for yourself and what assistance you may need before, during and after a disaster. Make a list of your personal needs and resources for meeting them in a disaster environment.

Make a Plan Questions to assist yourself in planning: What resources do you rely on regularly? Do you depend on public transportation? Do you receive medical treatments? Do your medications require refrigeration? Do you need assistance with personal care? Do you use equipment that depends on electricity? Do you use aids such as a walker, cane, wheelchair, or a scooter? Do you use a service animal?

Make a Plan Some things to consider: Meet with family members, friends, building or housing managers to review community hazards and emergency plans. Tell them where your emergency supplies are kept. Choose an out-of-town contact if available. Following a disaster, family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Complete an Emergency Health Information Card. Keep it updated and with you at all times. Plan and practice the escape route from your home.

Make a Plan Plan for transportation if you need to evacuate to a shelter. Discuss who will check on you in the event of an emergency. Make sure that person has an extra key to your home and knows where you keep your emergency supplies. Teach those who may need to assist you in an emergency on how to operate any necessary equipment (e.g. oxygen, assistive devices) Check that all of your visual and vibrating alerting systems have battery back-up in the event of a power outage. Be sure to replace the batteries every six months.

Get a Kit In addition to the standard list of recommended items to include in a Disaster Supplies Kit, you may want to include some of the following items: Extra hearing aids and batteries Have a three-day supply of any medication you are prescribed and a copy of your prescription medications and dosages Extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen List of the style and serial number of any medical devices, such as pacemakers

Get a Kit Medical Insurance and Medicaid/Medicare cards List of doctors and relatives or friends who should be notified if you are injured A list of key phrases for emergency personnel about any special needs such as mobility impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, any medical conditions you may have that require special care (e.g. “I need an interpreter,” “I need announcements written,”)

Planning Resource READYPA Personal preparedness campaign to motivate all Pennsylvanians to Prepare for an emergency Supported by PA DOH, PA Citizen Corps, PEMA and volunteer organizations READYPA.ORG READYPA

Remember Be Prepared Be Aware Be Involved

Contact Information Joanne Roth Special Populations Coordinator Office of Public Health Preparedness Pennsylvania Department of Health 130A Kline Plaza | Harrisburg, PA Phone: | Fax: