CA OES, Earthquake - Special Needs in Emergency Planning and Preparedness

Paul Imperiale
Disability Program Coordinator
San Francisco Mayor' s Office of
Community Development

For the population known as "disabled" the Loma Prieta earthquake was a glimpse of how special needs that are a matter of life and death for some people can be overlooked. Consider this scenario:

Richard, a mobility-impaired municipal employee, sat motionless as the ceiling in his high-rise office began to fall. He couldn't get out of his wheel chair to take cover. Then all was dark, there was no longer the sound of other people moving about; apparently everyone else had already left. Richard was alone. Telephones were inoperable, elevators had ceased to function, and there seemed to be a gas leak. Richard was stranded.

The scene above is only too real for the 18% of the San Francisco Bay Area population with severe disabilities. After the October, 1989, earthquake many were stranded, some unaware of the nature or magnitude of what had just happened.

A great amount of planning will be needed to provide for the diversity of the Bay Area special needs population that will be affected by the next earthquake disaster. The first step is to be aware of what the various special needs are.

Communications

Post-disaster communication is a challenge for everyone, but for people with disabilities it may be especially problematic. Persons who are hearing-impaired or deaf require face-to-face contact in order to read lips or understand pantomime. Writing on a note pad is only practical if there is enough available light to see. Alarm systems for fire and earthquake will benefit most people if they incorporate both audible and visual components. Persons with hearing impairments will be best served by having stroboscopic (flashing light) alarms near their work stations and in restrooms. Emergency battery-operated back-up lighting systems, especially in stairwells and other dark areas, will help all people to evacuate safely from their buildings.

Persons with hypertension, dyslexia, or learning disabilities will have difficulty reading complicated directions for evacuation or response plans. Simple diagrammatic pictures (lines) will give non-reading or over-stressed staffers a sufficiently detailed indication of how to get to safe areas.

Sight-impaired or blind persons need to be informed about obstacles that may be in their paths and require verbal or physical guidance through hazardous areas. These people typically rely on memory as a navigation device; imagine trying to evacuate, alone, a building that is in a state of disarray and not at all as remembered. Arrangement of office or factory furnishings, and the proper anchoring and bolting of all furniture and equipment, is of paramount importance. Clear and unobstructed paths of travel (48"-wide main corridor width) will facilitate postdisaster egress, should a sight-impaired person have to go it alone.

Mobility

The other major disaster challenge is to the mobility-impaired: they may not be able to duck and cover quickly or easily, nor will evacuation to safety be possible because physical obstacles are in their paths or electric-dependent machines are not operating. Any evacuation plan must include provisions for people with disabilities. There should also be a procedure in place that forms a partnership between those that are able-bodied and those with disabilities to assure that people who are able to guide and assist will be paired with those who are not.

A current copy of the California Accessibility Standards, which is California's building code for disability access, can be obtained from the Office of the State Architect in Sacramento. Many of the code requirements give good ideas for the provision of usable access for persons who are hearing, sight or mobility impaired. Usable access generally translates into usable emergency egress.

Persons who are mobility-impaired can, in certain instances, forego the use of mobility aids and may not require that power wheelchairs be evacuated with them. It is general practice that a mobility-impaired individual instruct, if possible, a rescuer or helper in how best to move them from an unsafe area. For example, the traditional "fireman's carry" may be hazardous to someone with respiratory weakness or debilitation.

It is advisable for persons with special needs to have a back-up supply of vital medication nearby at work as well as at home at all times. And to remember to take it along if they are evacuated from either place. An individual emergency card (IEC), which describes a person's needs, is extremely helpful as well. This states the disability, medications, frequency of medication, mobility constraints, and possible attendant needs. Ignorance of the medical implications for special needs individuals was a problem after the Loma Prieta earthquake. It makes sense to have all employees fill out cards listing medications, allergies, primary care physician, and other relevant information because able-bodied people can easily become "special needs cases" in a disaster.

Make Plans, Use Available Resources

People with disabilities should be involved in every step of the emergency preparedness process. Special provisions can be made to make the interior environment as seismically safe as possible for mobility-impaired people who can not easily take cover under a table or desk. Consult people with disabilities in the creation of an emergency evacuation plan. It is important to have written response and evacuation plans for all workplaces, and these plans must be communicated and understood by all employees. Staff meetings are good times to review protocol for all exigencies.

An excellent source of additional information on many of these concerns is the California Department of Rehabilitation's Community Access Network (CAN). CAN volunteers are trained to evaluate workplaces for anything that may be hazardous to persons with disabilities. Much of their assessment will be based on the state's Title 24 Accessibility Standards. Recipients of direct or indirect federal funding are now using the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS). Both UFAS and Title 24 break down access considerations into easily readable form which can and should be used by everyone.

Barriers to safety and access are highly individual and an accommodation plan must be tailored to the scope of the overall workplace. Physical plant personnel may not respond well to a plan developed for a different business and setting. "Master plans" provided by emergency preparedness agencies should be carefully modified to each special situation; general plans do not take into account every organization's special needs. Some access and safety improvements may be costly, but substantial tax credits may be available for eliminating barriers to mobility. Local IRS offices have details.

It's a Process

Frequent drills are extremely useful in assuring that everyone knows his or her roles in response and evacuation. Such drills can help point out areas of difficulty that need improvement; they can also build confidence, in the disabled and able-bodied alike, in their abilities to do what is called for. It is crucial to have numerous, well-stocked first aid kits, and to encourage--and support--all employees to take first aid classes. If people with disabilities may require special procedures following a disaster, it is necessary to learn and practice them.

Fears and negative attitudes regarding people with disabilities in the workplace may be alleviated by having staff members sensitized and educated by a representative from a local Independent Living Center. Most cities now have ILCs with excellent trainers on staff who are happy to address emergency issues. Local offices of the state Department of Rehabilitation can provide lists and phone number of ILCs.

Not to be forgotten are the strengths of people with disabilities. I have concentrated on what can be done for persons with disabilities, but there are many obvious ways physically impaired people can assist in preparing for everyone's safety in the next earthquake.

For more information, contact Paul Imperiale, Disability Program Coordinator, Mayor's Office of Community Development, City and County of San Francisco, 10 United Nations Plaza, Suite 600. San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 554-8925.

Safety For People With Special Needs

The San Francisco Disability Program suggests that local governments implement the following recommendations to insure that their special populations have been well provided for in emergencies.

To insure a quick and appropriate emergency response, cities should require local registries for elderly and disabled people, a system to tie the registries to community agencies and neighborhood organizations, and implementation funding. The registry system will need adequate staffing for outreach activities, a workable system for data collection, and clear confidentiality policies.
All educational materials should be available in large print and on audio cassette, as well as in a variety of non-English languages.
City agencies should provide for people with disabilities an expanded program of individual home and apartment hazard removal, with special focus on physical reorganizing for safety.
Facilitate the formation of a neighborhood-based system which identifies people with disabilities and any special needs they might have, and integrates them through such activities as sensitivity training.
All shelters, first aid stations, and relevant public and private organizations should have a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) and staff trained in its use. Additionally, there should be signs and printed material for people with hearing impairments. Staff should be trained in basic mobility and orientation techniques to assist people with visual disabilities.
Shelters, alternate shelters, and first aid stations should be made wheelchair accessible at their primary entrances. Restrooms in such facilities should also be made usable for persons who are mobility-impaired.
Through the local Red Cross and other service agencies, create systems in shelters for the provision of both American Sign Language (ASL) and other non-English language interpreters, and personal care attendants.
Create a system for medication assessment and disbursement at shelters and other neighborhood sites.
Require regular disability awareness training for shelter and emergency response personnel, and provide them with information on a range of disability and functional limitations, as well as indicators of special needs.
Include people with disabilities in all emergency preparedness, response, and recovery planning and advisory groups.
Encourage and assist vulnerable populations to create and keep emergency preparedness and response plans.

Reprinted from Networks: Earthquake Preparedness News, Volume 6, Number 2. Fall 1991
Governors Office of Emergency Services Earthquake Program (formerly BAREPP)

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