Image of DCAB acronym with ISA in the letter B
Disability and Communication Access Board
State of Hawaii

Emergency Preparedness E-News
for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
 
September 2010                                                                                    Issue 12

    Image of Hurricane icon    Image of Flood icon    Image of Earthquake icon    Image of Tsunami icon
 
Images used here are from the Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards by Dennis J. Hwang and Darren K. Okimoto from the University of Hawaii's Sea Grant College Program.

In this issue
September: National Preparedness Month
Emergency Preparedness Resource
Kauai Exercises
FEMA Conference

Greetings!

Fall is upon us with students and teachers 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 all of us to remain as current as possible. Please e-mail items to me at [email protected]. Your feedback is also appreciated!
 
Aloha,
Debbie Jackson
Planner

September: National Preparedness Month 
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Image of DOH LogoSeptember is National Preparedness Month reports the State Department of Health (DOH) in a recent press release. Residents are reminded to take steps needed to prepare for an emergency in their home, business and community. Throughout the month there will be daily tweets on new preparedness tips on the DOH's Twitter account at HIgov_Health and on its Facebook account. 
 
 "It's important for everyone to take steps to be prepared for a disaster," said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Hawaii DOH Director. "Your family should have a plan in place to contact each other and have an emergency supply kit."
 
This is the seventh year for National Preparedness Month, which is sponsored by the Ready Campaign in partnership with the Citizen Corps and the Advertising Council. It is held every September to encourage everyone to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and community. Around the country, exercises will be conducted to test the government's and its partners ability to respond in a public health emergency.
 
On an individual level, everyone should have a plan in case of a disaster. That plan should always include the answer of where to meet, and have a backpack of supplies for the family and pets.
 
"In Hawaii disasters can come at us in all shapes and sizes - natural or manmade," Fukino said. "We all should be prepared. In government we are constantly striving to hone our plans to work together in a concerted way to ensure the public's safety in a disaster."
 
For more information go to the Ready.gov site to read tips on preparedness or call toll-free (800) BE-READY on TTY or (800) 462-7585. Go to the DOH web site and click on the ready.gov widget.

Emergency Preparedness Resource
 
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Image of disability.gov logo

The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy recently reported that during hurricane season, it's especially important to know how to prepare for, and effectively respond to the needs of people with disabilities during emergencies.
 
This includes getting an emergency supply kit ready, making sure accessible transportation and housing are available, and ensuring that emergency information is accessible to people with disabilities.
 
Visit Disability.gov's Emergency Preparedness section for more information on:
The Disability and Communication Access Board also has an Emergency Preparedness link on their web site and the information is specific to people with disabilities. For more information about that link, contact Debbie Jackson at (808) 586-8121 or click on the words "emergency preparedness" in the previous sentence. 

Kauai Exercises
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Image of Kauai Map
The Garden Island newspaper reported this Sunday, September 12, 2010 that the Kauai Civil Defense Agency will host its annual, week-long Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) exercise in conjunction with the Hawaii National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team beginning September 12, 2010. The goal of the exercise is to ensure Kauai's first-responders are prepared in the unlikely event of a terrorist attack on the Garden Isle.
 
The training consists of classroom exercises, along with field exercises in the Vidinha Stadium parking lot, Hanapepe Sports Complex, Nawiliwili Harbor, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and the U.S. Coast Guard Station.
 
A DOH press release on September 7, 2010 also indicated that a mass medication exercise is also planned for September 15th to test its emergency preparedness mass medication dispensing plan known as the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). Approximately 500 volunteers are needed to help the Kauai District Health Office with the exercise scenario to distribute medicines and supplies from the SNS in response to a public health emergency. The goal of the SNS exercise is to simulate how DOH will respond if there were a public health emergency on Kauai that would require people to come into the clinic, fill out forms and be evaluated to receive medication. Volunteers will be used to walk through the clinic to receive medication.
 
The SNS program is organized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The stockpile consists of a cache of medicine and medical supplies stored in 13 secret locations around the country.  Medication and supplies are available for distribution in the event of a bioterrorism attack or other health emergency, and can be delivered within 12 hours of an approved request.
 
For more information, contact Michael Robless, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Educator at (808) 241-3555 at the Kauai District Health Office. 

FEMA Conference 
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Image of FEMA Logo An article about the FEMA conference called "Getting Real -The 2010 Inclusive Emergency Management National Capacity Building Training Conference" in Baltimore, MD on September 22-24, 2010 was included in last month's issue. The conference is intended for members of the disability and emergency management communities. Two (2) delegates from Hawaii (one from DCAB and the other from the University of Hawaii's Center on Disability Studies) have been selected to 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.
 
This conference will honor September as National Preparedness Month by training stakeholders in inclusive practices. More about the conference will be reported in next month's E-News.

Contact Information
 Image of State Seal of Hawaii              
 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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