Disability and Communication Access Board
State of Hawaii
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Emergency Preparedness E-News
for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
January 2010 Issue 4
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Greetings!
A happy and prosperous 2010 to all of you from DCAB! We hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are now ready to begin the new year. We are hoping for a good new year bringing each of us success for all of the hard work we do everyday. Please forward this e-mail newsletter to your friends and family if you feel they may be helped by any of the information included in it. 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. Any information you would like featured in future editions of the E-News are welcome. Please e-mail items to me at debbra.jackson@doh.hawaii.gov. Your feedback and comments are also appreciated!
Aloha,
Debbie Jackson
Planner
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Accessible Website Links
 Last month's issue of the E-News included a story about accessible websites with emergency preparedness information for individuals with disabilities. The link in the article didn't work, so the link is being provided here again, anyone that wishes to visit the site has access to it.
The site is Accessible Emergency Information. As a reminder, featured on the website are videos with American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters advising how to prepare for 18 topics. The videos also have audio voice over and text along side the ASL interpreter. Along with the videos we have included the Emergency Preparedness Guide formatted in braille, large print and pdf regular font for download. All of the information is free for public use, any organization may link to the website and use the information to inform the public. The braille documents are formatted for reprint using a braille printer.
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Emergency Preparedness Videos on YouTube
The two DCAB emergency preparedness videos are uploaded to YouTube on the Internet. The title of the videos are Ho'omakaukau: Getting [Your Emergency Kit] Ready and Shelter in Place. The topic areas for the videos are general emergency readiness information, and includes added tips for individuals with disabilities. The titles of the videos above are active links, so click on the title to view the videos. To view the video about preparing your emergency readiness kit, click on Get Ready, and to see the second video click on Shelter In Place. There will also be links to the videos at the end of the month on the DCAB home page.
DCAB convened a small working group to develop the scripts for the videos. Both videos were produced locally by Hawaii Student Television, and
were funded through a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism Cooperative Agreement. DCAB acknowledges each of them for all their work and contribution in making the videos become a reality.
A limited supply of DVDs featuring both videos are available from DCAB. If your agency conducts workshops or trainings and would like to use them to educate people with disabilities about emergency readiness, you are welcome to obtain a free copy by contacting Debbie Jackson at (808) 586-8121. If you are on a Neighbor Island, toll free numbers are listed at the end of the newsletter.
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H1N1 Vaccination
 On December 17, 2009, the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) announced that vaccine supplies have gradually caught up with demand. Hawaii vaccination providers can now use the 2009 H1N1 nasal spray vaccine (LAIV -- live attenuated influenza vaccine) to vaccinate any healthy, nonpregnant persons ages 2 through 49 years old. Vaccination providers were notified of the expanded eligibility for H1N1 nasal spray vaccine earlier this week.
However, for the shots (MIV -- injectable monovalent inactivated vaccine), vaccination providers should continue to adhere to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended priority groups for vaccination: - Pregnant women
- People who live with or care for infants younger than age 6 months
- Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
- Children and young adults ages 6 months through 24 years
- Anyone ages 25 through 64 years old with underlying medical conditions that put them at a higher risk for influenza-related complications.
The CDC and DOH recommend the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine for all healthy people 2-49 years old who are not pregnant. Vaccination is voluntary and the best protection available against the 2009 H1N1 flu.
For more information on H1N1 influenza or the vaccine, call your doctor, visit the DOH website, or call Aloha United Way at 2-1-1. The DOH also is on Twitter. |
U.S. Census 2010
 The U.S. Census counts everyone residing in the U.S. every ten years. All U.S. residents, both citizens and non-citizens, will be included. There are ten questions on the census form that will be mailed to you in mid-March 2010 and it takes only ten minutes to fill out. When you receive your form, fill it out for each person living in your household. An envelope will be included for you to return your questionnaire. If you have any questions or need assistance call the Los Angeles Regional Office in California at (818) 267-1700 or 1-800-992-3530, Fax: (818) 267-1711, TTY:(818) 904-6429 or e-mail for more details on what assistance is available. The survey is available in large print, upon request.
There is currently $400 billion dollars of federal funds to be awarded to states based on the census data making it important to count everyone residing in the state. Census data guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts, including where to build new roads, hospitals and schools. It also impacts Hawaii's votes in Congress by determining how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as redistricting of state legislatures, county and city councils and voting districts.
To refocus on emergency preparedness and people with disabilities, the census data is crucial in: the designing of public safety strategies; estimating the number of people who may be displaced by natural disasters; creating maps to speed emergency services to households in need of assistance; designing facilities for people with disabilities, the elderly or children; and planning for health and educational services for people with disabilities.
Remember those things when you receive your 2010 Census questionnaire in March. Complete it and return it to help your local community! If your agency is interested in being an official partner to support the 2010 Census, e-mail Faye F. Untalan or call her at (808) 630-6774.
For more information about the U.S. Census 2010, visit their website.
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Oahu Resident Disaster Preparedness Survey
 The City & County of Honolulu, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) has a two page, twenty question online survey for you to fill out. It will remain on the website until the end of February. The purpose of the survey is to obtain information from Oahu residents (with and without disabilities) about the different types of natural or man-made hazards have had an impact on them in their home or at work. Information from the survey will be used to update the City's Multi-Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan.
For the survey, hazards include flash flooding, earthquake, tsunami, high winds/storms, hurricane, high surf, rockfalls, road closures, coastal erosion, wildfire, drought, and vog. The survey can be accessed on the City and County's website.
Please take a few moments to complete the survey. It takes approximately five minutes. All information provided is confidential. For more information about the survey or the report that will be generated by the data collected and how it will be used by the City & County of Honolulu, contact Ken Gilbert at (808) 723-8960.
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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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