home  I  about   I  send us a message  I  information & news   I  links   I  site map     

  PREPARING FOR EMERGENCIES

The following web sites provide information on emergency preparedness:

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/
beprepared/disability.html
Red Cross Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/emergency.html
Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities

http://www.access-board.gov
The Access Board - a federal agency committed to accessible design

Additional resources on emergency planning

http://www.epva.org
Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA). Emergency preparedness information is found in the Government Relations Section.

http://fema.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Emergency Procedures Manual for Office Employees with Disabilities Now Available from FEMA in Variety of Formats
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/press/020397.htm

ADA Applies to Restoration of Damaged Facilities
http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r/pa/papd/5.htm

Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities
http://www.fema.gov/library/disprepf.htm

Fire Safety for People with Disabilities
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis3_list.htm

Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office Occupancies
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a64.htm

Preparing for Emergencies: Checklist for People with Mobility Problems
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fserd/dis_a66.htm

Fire Stops With You: Removing the Barriers: A Fire Safety Factsheet for People with Disabilities and their Caregivers
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/fswy22.htm

National Safety Council
http://www.nsc.org

National Fire Protection Association
http://www.nfpa.org

The National Organization on Disability (http://www.nod.org) reports results from a Harris Interactive Survey showing that three months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 54 million citizens with disabilities do not feel sufficiently prepared for future crises. According to the survey:

• 58 percent of people with disabilities say they do not know whom to contact about emergency plans for their community in the event of a terrorist attach or other crisis.
• 61 percent say they have not made plans to quickly and safely evacuate their home
• Among those who are employed full or part time, 50 percent say no plans have been made to safely evacuate their workplace.

All these percentages are higher than those without disabilities (51%, 58% and 44% respectively).

"These statistics show the country as a whole has some catching up to do to be prepared, but people with disabilities lag behind everyone else. This is a critical discrepancy, because those of us with disabilities must in fact be better prepared so we are not at a disadvantage in an emergency," said N.O.D. President Alan A. Reich.

The Harris Interactive survey – which interviewed 1,011 people, fifteen percent of whom reported having disabilities, by telephone between Nov. 14 and 20 – also found that those with disabilities are far more anxious about their personal