Disability and Communication Access Board
State of Hawaii
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Emergency Preparedness E-News
for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
August 2010 Issue 11
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| Greetings!
Fall is nearly upon us and some students and teachers are already back in school. By now you should have your emergency readiness kit prepared and stored in an easy to find location at home! The summer passed very quickly with a myriad of activities and workshops available to people to assist them in preparing for an emergency or evacuation, if one occurs. New services and programs are also being developed to help the public prepare for emergencies.
To date, the Emergency Preparedness E-News has been written with a combination of individuals submitting information to DCAB or articles from other sources. We hope what is provided in the E-News has been useful to each of you in preparing for an emergency.
Thank you to those who sent information for this issue. Keep the articles and comments coming in order for us all to remain as current as possible. Please e-mail items to me at debbra.jackson@doh.hawaii.gov. Your feedback is also appreciated!
Aloha,
Debbie Jackson
Planner |
Tsunami Evacuation Zone Maps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  The City and County of Honolulu, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) completed a series of workshops last week to preview and obtain feedback of the new Tsunami Evacuation Zone Maps. The draft maps are avaialbe for viewing or downloading at www.oahuDEM.org. The new maps were developed under a National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program Grant, which is part of a coordinated national effort to assess tsunami threat, prepare community response, issue timely and effective warnings and reduce or lessen property damage. Currently, there are nineteen (19) tsunami maps in the telephone book based on data from past tsunamis that hit Hawaii and represent the best information at the time the maps were developed. The new maps were designed using more recent information and include the past areas in yellow with a red line marking the outer limit of the evacuation zone. Thus, if you use these maps and are in an area beyond the marked red border, you should be in an area "safe" from a tsunami. There are two (2) new maps included in the new set: one is of Pearl Harbor and the other is the Kaneohe Bay area. Plans are to publish the maps in the 2011 telephone books and on the City and County web site. DCAB staff is working with DEM and individuals with disabilities to ensure accessibility of the maps. Please review the maps and provide feedback by the end of August via e-mail or contact the Department of Emergency Management directly at (808) 723-8960. |
Text Messaging and E-mail for Emergency Notifications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  The City and County of Honolulu recently began a text messaging/e-mail system to notify the community, including individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, of emergencies. The system is called "Nixle." In August, the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) began using this service and has already sent out two (2) messages to alert users. DCAB participated as a member of the group of testers and provided feedback to DEM to assist the City and County decide which system to choose. To register to receive emergency information go to www.nixle.com and click on " Sign Up Now." Create an account by choosing a User Name and Password, then enter an e-mail address and cell phone number where you would like to receive messages. Enter your address or a nearby street intersection, and then click on " Sign Me Up." Remember to check your individual cell phone plan related to charges for text messaging and e-mail, because those are charged to the individual receiving them and are not paid for by the City and County. To customize your account, log into the above nixle web site and click on "Locations." Click on "Add New" to add addresses in your town or around the country. This option will let you keep track of areas where your relatives or loved ones are or where you work, live or visit. Click on "Settings" and select a location from the left-hand menu and check the "Subscribe" option. You will receive messages from each agency by e-mail and/or cell phone depending on how you adjusted priority levels. With the addition of the nixle service, each county now has a text messaging or e-mail notification system for which individuals may register to receive emergency notifications. Contact the county Civil Defense Agency in your area to find out how to register for the service in your area. |
| FEMA Conference
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  FEMA is sponsoring the "Getting Real - the 2010 Inclusive Emergency Management National Capacity Building Training Conference" in Washington, D.C. on September 22-24, 2010. The conference is intended for members of the disability and emergency management communities. Delegates from across the country will participate in an intensive cross-training and bridge-building itinerary in inclusive emergency management practices. This conference will prepare leaders for post-training responsibility to engage and educate others how to effectively collaborate in emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery.
The conference is hosted by FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination with partners from the FEMA National Protection and Preparedness Directorate, Individual & Community Preparedness Division, the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities, the Department of Justice and the National Conference on Disability. This conference will honor September as National Preparedness Month by training stakeholders in inclusive practices. FEMA encourages individuals with a full range of expertise to apply. Space is limited and not all applicants are guaranteed acceptance. Funds are available for eligible delegates. If you are interested in attending the conference, submit your application. Please address all questions to the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination by e-mail to: FEMA-Disability-Integration-Coordination@dhs.gov. Applications are due by close of business on August 19, 2010. |
| Deaf & Hard of Hearing Needs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  On Monday, August 9, 2010, DCAB participated in a telephone interview with Health Research for Action (HRA), a public health research center at the University of California, Berkeley, for HRA's national emergency preparedness project focusing on the needs of the Deaf and hard of hearing populations. The project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During the interview, information was provided about work that has been done in Hawaii related to emergency preparedness and individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Discussion included issues about information obtained from the community, partnerships with Deaf and hard of hearing agencies, model programs for Deaf and hard of hearing populations and strategies for improving emergency preparedness for Deaf and hard of hearing populations. Information from all the interviews conducted with various state agencies will be compiled and reported to the CDC.
This is a four (4) year project that is now in its first year of operation. The overall purpose of the project is to assess and improve the all-hazards preparedness communication for Deaf and hard of hearing and older adults. The project consists of four (4) Aims and involvement from individual states is part of Aim 1. In Aim 1, the project is examining national recommendations on preparedness communication for people who are Deaf and hard of hearing, assessing the adoption of these recommendations in state emergency preparedness plans, and proposing strategies to improve their adoption in national, state and county plans. Aims 2, 3, and 4 are part of a county case study focused more on the local level and examines the available preparedness communication materials from public health agencies and community-based organizations (CBOs) in Alameda County, California. In addition, Aims 2,3, and 4 involve analyzing the communication capacity of CBOs that serve adults who are Deaf and hard of hearing and older adults, and finally improving the content, format, and delivery of preparedness materials to suit the needs of the target populations. The effectiveness of new materials will also be tested. |
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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
Web site: 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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