EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLANNING AND DISABILITY

Given that it is estimated that almost 30% of American families have a least one member with a disability, it is surprising that more people don’t make a plan for how they’ll cope following a disaster. I believe that if you have a family member with a disability, you have an obligation to ensure that a plan exists. When I cared for my elderly, frail parents and husband, it was paramount to me to have a plan to ensure they had the best chance for survival as possible.

For my parents, that meant thinking through who services we would need to keep my mother comfortable at home (she was on oxygen and in great danger of falling), and my father safe in the nursing home (he had dementia). Had disaster struck, I would have been trying to ensure their safety in two different locations. That could have been an extremely trying situation had it come to pass with no planning to fall back on.

Knowing alternate sources for the resources needed to maintain my mother’s comfort at home helped. I made a list of the companies that provided oxygen in our area, and in areas a bit further away in case no one in our locale would be able to meet her needs. I also spoke with several friends who were willing to provide caregiving services if needed. Knowing those plans were in place helped me feel more in control of the situation.

I spoke with the staff at the nursing home where Dad lived so I understood what their plan was for responding to disaster. I wanted to know where they would take him if he had to be evacuated in a hurry, and how they would meet his needs and keep him safe.

Having a plan for how I could best be of help to my parents made it much easier for me to manage the stress of caring for them. Part of being responsible for their care meant having a plan that addressed their special needs in the event of a disaster.

Putting Your Emergency Preparedness Plan in Action

• Post emergency phone numbers by phones
• Teach children how to call 911 for emergency help
• Show each family member how and where to turn off water, gas and electricity at main switches
• Check to make sure you have adequate insurance coverage
• Install an ABC-type fire extinguisher and learn how to use it
• Install smoke detectors on each level of your home
• Conduct a home hazard hunt
• Stock emergency supplies and assemble a disaster kit
• Take a first aid and CPR class
• Determine the best escape routes from your home — find two ways out of each room
• Find safe spots in your home for each type of disaster
• Review your plans every 6 months
• Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills
• Test and recharge fire extinguisher
• Test smoke detectors monthly. Change batteries every 6 months & clean off dust
• Replace stored water and food every 6 months
• Practice, practice, practice!!! When disaster strikes, you’ll want to respond appropriately. Shock is often the first reaction, and may prevent you from responding as quickly as needed. Practice often so it becomes a part of your routine and you don’t have to think about it.

Financial Preparedness

Prior to a disaster, you may want to develop a plan for financial preparedness. FEMA has a tool called the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit for your use in maintaining financial stability following a disaster. You can access this document at: http://www.operationhope.org/smdev/lfl.php?id=187.

Some tips to help in developing your financial preparedness plan:

• Conduct a household inventory. Make a list of your possessions and document it with photos or a video. This is helpful when filing an insurance claim. Keep one copy in your home, and in a fireproof file box; keep another in a secure location.
• Use a portable, lockable, fireproof file box. Place your important documents in the box in a secure, accessible place where you can grab it quickly if you must evacuate. Inside this box, keep:
• Your household inventory
• A list of emergency contacts, including family members who live outside your area
• Copies of current prescriptions
• Health insurance cards or information
• Policy numbers for auto, flood, renter’s or homeowner’s insurance, and a list of phone numbers of your insurance companies
• Copies of other important documents, or notes about where you keep them, including deeds, titles, wills, birth and marriage certificates, passports, and employee benefit and retirement documents
• A list of phone numbers and e-mail addresses of creditors, financial institutions, landlords, and utility companies
• A list of bank, loan, credit card, mortgage, lease, debit and ATM, and investment account numbers
• Social Security cards
• Backups of financial data you keep on your computer
• An extra set of keys for your house and car
• The key to your safe deposit box
• A small amount of cash or traveler’s checks as ATMs and financial institutions may be closed
• Update all your information at least once a year. September is a good time to do this as it is National Preparedness Month.

Reluctant to Plan

I was recently teaching a small section on emergency preparedness planning at a class where I assist in training dogs. I started my section by asking the group how many of them had an emergency preparedness plan. Not one person in the room had made any sort of plan for what they would do in a disaster.

I was shocked. Over the past ten or fifteen years, I’ve noted that more and more often I’m seeing things like extreme damage from high winds, tornados, flooding, and even fire. I won’t argue the reasons why this is happening, but I have to admit, whatever the reason, I’m seeing this kind of damage more often than I did in the past. To me, it just seems sensible to take a little while to think through what I’d do if the hardships coming my way are a bit more extreme than I expect.

Because I own a kennel, the American Kennel Club requires I have a plan for what I’d do with the dogs if disaster struck. I sat down and thought through that. What are the most likely forms of disaster I’d face? Flooding, fire, high winds, tornados, and winter storms causing power outages. How would each of these situations affect my ability to care for my dogs? Without electricity, I’d have no water available, and in the winter, no heat. If the roof blew off the kennel, I’d have to find alternative housing for the dogs. If the area flooded, I’d also have to look for a dry place to kennel them.

I planned on what changes I could make to ensure the dogs remained healthy and happy. I wrote my ideas down on paper. I discussed them with my business partners and assistants. I printed off a copy of the plan and posted it and made sure everyone knew where it was.

It didn’t take a long time. It wasn’t particularly difficult to do. But the peace of mind it brings me is priceless!