Planning for a Disaster: Individuals who use Assistive Technology and Families Carl T. Cameron, PhD Pat Heineman

What was learned from the FEMA Region IV Summit: Individual Preparedness plans need to be in place before organizations can be expected to help one another in disasters. A valuable discussion about the role of reusable assistive technology (AT), including, but not limited to, durable medical equipment in disaster planning, response, recovery and mitigation for people with functional needs. The Summit provided a forum for AT, EM and Disability organizations to come together and address their role in disasters. The infrastructure for local, state and regional collaboration around AT Reuse needs to be defined. States need to coordinate and define action steps they can take to develop a sustainable network for addressing the AT needs of people in disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Many agencies are at different levels in terms of their emergency preparedness planning. Agencies are working to understand what the AT needs will be following disasters, who has what AT equipment and resources and who is capable of responding, and assessing and defining capabilities to deploy resources as needed, following disasters.

Individual Readiness (Individual and Family) Organizational Readiness (Service Providers and Advocacy) Community/ Jurisdictional Readiness (Emergency Management, Public Health, State AT Services)

Individual Readiness

Disaster Readiness Planner and Planning Guide

Step 1: What Disasters? Decide what disasters are likely to happen where you live. Use the boxes to check off what events could happen or have happened in the area.

Step 2: My Concerns? Note your personal concerns about how a disaster might affect you and your family.

Step 3: People Who Can Help Everyone needs a support network that they can count on during a disaster.

Step 4: How to get Information and Warnings Communication is often called the most important part of being prepared.

Step 5: Stay in Touch Having more than one way to stay in touch with family, friends, and organizations may prove critical.

Step 6: Shelter at Home There are many shelter in place lists, but any list has to be adapted to meet the needs of your family.

Step 7: Evacuation Get items together in a Go-Kit to be ready to leave quickly if you have to.

Step 8: How You Leave Practice using different routes out of town. During an actual disaster people may have to use routes given by authorities.

Step 9: Where You Go Plan in advance where you will go in the event of a disaster, and have two to three options available.

Step 10: What To Do When You Return Home

Disaster Readiness Guide

The Guide The Disaster Readiness Guide explains how to use the Planner to help someone else prepare for a disaster The Guide can be used to train staff of a trusted organization to work with people the organization serves to help them prepare

Disaster Readiness for Someone Who Uses Assistive Technology A supplement to the Disaster Readiness Planning Guide

What does IPC do? Training and Information Research Technical Assistance to States, localities and organizations Planning Templates