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For Disabled and Special Needs
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People with disabilities face special challenges during emergencies. To make sure you remain safe during an emergency, you need to plan now.
Take steps to know the risks you face and take action to make sure you stay safe. Are you ready, or not?
- Plan to get by on your own for three or more days without help or emergency services
- Remember, when an emergency occurs, you may not be able to replace your medications and equipment right away. Work out a plan that fits your needs and is easy to put into action. If you plan now, you will be more confident about protecting yourself when there is an emergency. You need to prepare for any type of emergency such as a house fire, power outage, snowstorm, hurricane, or terrorist attack.
PLAN FOR EMERGENCIES NOW
- Create an emergency plan. (link to Make a Plan)
- Keep a 7-14 day supply of necessary medications on hand at all times
- Develop a personal emergency plan for each place where you spend time - at home, work, school and in the community.
- Evaluate your capabilities, limitations, needs and surroundings to determine what type of support you may need in an emergency
- Include your home care attendant and other people in your network in your emergency planning process
- If you are dependent on electricity for a wheelchair, breathing machine or any other life-sustaining device, plan for a loss of power. Consult your power provider.
- If you are hearing impaired, you may need to make special arrangements to make sure you receive emergency warnings
- If you are mobility impaired, you may need assistance to get to a shelter or to evacuate from buildings. Keep in mind elevators will not work in a power outage
- If there is no other accessible way to leave your building when the elevators are not working, call 9-1-1 for emergency assistance.
- People with special dietary needs should prepare an adequate emergency food supply
- Write down your support needs and important numbers. Medical conditions, medications and dosages, allergies, special equipment, medical insurance, medical insurance cards as well as personal and medical contact details are important to have available. Keep this list with you in emergencies and supply a friend with a copy.
- If you have a service animal, make sure that it is registered for a service tag
KNOW WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HEAD, WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HAND AND WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HOME.
Ready Philadelphia
Ready or Not?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Preparing for Disaster for People with Disabilities and other Special Needs,
a FEMA and American Red Cross brochure
- Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities, an American Red Cross brochure
- Learn more about how to prepare at www.ready.gov
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