Disability and Communication Access Board
State of Hawaii
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Emergency Preparedness E-News
for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
October 2009 Issue 2
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Greetings!
Thank you for the positive response to the first issue of DCAB's Emergency Preparedness E-News for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs. The E-News is designed to provide the community with useful information related to emergency preparedness issues and individuals with disabilities and special health needs. Please feel free to encourage your friends and family to subscribe to this e-newsletter. If you are just visiting this page and wish to subscribe, click on the "Join our mailing list" option at the bottom of the page and add yourself to the E-News mailing list. If you have any information you would like featured in future editions of the E-News, please e-mail it to me at debbra.jackson@doh.hawaii.gov. Your feedback and comments are also welcome!
Aloha,
Debbie Jackson
Planner
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 New Videos Available
Two educational videos on emergency preparedness and people with disabilities have just been completed. The project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control, and the videos were produced by Hawaii Student Television.
The first video explains how to prepare your emergency preparedness kit, and the second one explains what to do to prepare your home to shelter-in-place during an emergency. Both of these videos will be uploaded for viewing online at YouTube by November 16, 2009. A link will be posted on DCAB's website when the videos are ready. To view them, click DCAB's website then scroll down until you find the link to the videos.
A limited number of copies of the videos will also be available for agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities and to schools. Contact Debbie Jackson at (808) 586-8121 or debbra.jackson@doh.hawaii.gov for more information.
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 Homeowner's Handbook
If you are interested in retrofitting your home to shelter-in-place during a disaster, a good resource for you to use as a guide is the Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards by Dennis J. Hwang and Darren K. Okimoto at the University of Hawaii's Sea Grant College Program. Graphics featured in the masthead of the E-News are from this handbook.
For people with disabilities or special health needs, sheltering-in-place may be a viable alternative to evacuating to a shelter. Depending on the type of disaster (i.e., hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, or flooding), sheltering-in-place in a home that has been hardened provides a more comfortable environment where you have all of your emergency supplies, medication, bedding, food and water readily available. Review this resource to see if it is a suitable option for you and your family.
The Handbook is available for free by calling 956-7410 ($5 is requested for mailing), or a go to the UH Sea Grant website then scroll down to Coastal Natural Processes and Hazards category. The fourth selection is the Homeonwer's Handbook. Click on that link to download the handbook.
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SCD Shelter List
On August 9, 2009, State Civil Defense (SCD) updated their list of emergency evacuation shelters. The shelter list now includes a code after the name of the shelter: (S) indicates a Level II or shelter for "people with special health needs," (P) is a "pet-friendly" shelter, and (S/P) indicates a shelter that includes space for both people with special health needs and pets. People and pets are housed in different areas of the facility; however, people with disabilities who use service animals will be allowed to keep their animal with them in the shelter.
SCD stresses that individuals are responsible to arrange their own transportation to and from the closest shelter, and to have emergency supplies ready to bring to the shelter. Shelters provide people with protection from the storm or disaster, but may not have electricity, cots or food and water. Individuals must bring their own food, water, personal supplies, and first aid kits. Although shelters have been designated as Level II or "special health needs" shelters, that does not guarantee there will be cots or electricity available for use. These shelters are intended for individuals who have special health needs that may require more medical assistance than is available at a general population shelter, but not at the acute care level offered at a hospital.
Plan ahead and obtain the list to find the shelter closest to you. A copy of the list and be obtained from the SCD website.
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Alternate Care Sites (ACS)
In the event of a mass medical emergency such as a pandemic, the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has been developing plans for Alternate Care Sites (ACS) to serve the public. A group with representatives from the DOH, Department of Human Services (DHS) Healthcare Association of Hawaii, SCD, County Civil Defense Agencies, American Red Cross, and the Disability and Communication Access Board is working together to develop the program that will meet community needs.
An ACS serves as a primary care site for patients during a pandemic who do not require the critical care provided by a hospital, or to provide a setting to which hospitals can transfer a patient who no longer needs hospital-level care but needs more than can be offered at home. Staffing at an ACS may include volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps, nurses from DOH or trained employees from other government agencies.
Because of the level of care to be provided at an ACS, and the need for Level II or "special health needs" shelter described in the 2009 Interagency Action Plan for the Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities and Special Health Needs, an ACS will be used as a Level II shelter in an emergency requiring evacuation that is not a pandemic.
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Emergency Preparedness Grant Awarded
 The Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus was awarded a grant for the Emergency Transition One-Stop Shop. The money will be used to plan and prepare for a five-year project that will annually serve 60 participants with intellectual disabilities (formerly known as developmental disabilities) and their families about how to prepare for emergency transitions.
The contract began on September 30, 2009 and will continue through September 29, 2010. The project will begin by establishing an Advisory Council and work groups of interested partners consisting of individuals with disabilities and their family members, non-profit organizations and state agency representatives. The Advisory Council and workgroups will assist with all aspects of the project including planning a summit and the development of the final Implementation Plan. Questions about the project should be directed to Dawn Skaggs at (808) 956-9797 or bskaggs@hawaii.edu.
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Contact Information
Disability and Communication Access Board
919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 586-8121 (V/TTY)
Fax: (808) 586-8129
E-mail: DCAB General Delivery
Website: DCAB Home Page County of Hawaii: 974-4000, ext. 6-8121# Couny of Kauai: 274-3141, ext. 6-8121# County of Maui: 984-2400, ext. 6-8121# Molokai & Lanai: 1-800-468-4644, ext. 6-8121# | |
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