BBI provides emergency preparedness guidance for people with disabilities

October 30, 2012

“BBI’s longstanding work in the area of disaster mitigation for people with disabilities is particularly timely,” says University Professor Peter Blanck, BBI chairman. A project of BBI, the Southeast ADA Center, located in Atlanta, Ga., is one of ten regional resource centers providing hurricane preparedness resources to employers, business, government, and people with disabilities.

BBI researchers were involved in a post-Hurricane Katrina study funded by the US Department of Labor (DOL). The study assessed impact on the lives of persons with disabilities post-Katrina, the effect of DOL assistance provided to people with disabilities, and possible lessons learned to help improve support to persons with disabilities before, during, and after a disaster.

According to the study:

  • The Gulf Coast Region was not prepared to evacuate, shelter, transport, or meet the medical needs of people with disabilities
  • People with disabilities were not included in many state and/or local preparedness and evacuation plans in the Gulf Coast Region
  • The process to plan for response to a natural or man-made disaster in the Gulf Coast Region did not include knowledge of this population, and/or other relevant non-profit organizations
  • There was a serious lack of coordination between Federal and state government agencies and non-profit organizations
  • Shelters, transportation facilities, and emergency communications and information broadcasts were frequently not accessible to people with disabilities.

Resources for the protection and safety of people with disabilities:

BBI/Southeast ADA Center
https://www.adasoutheast.org/publications/resourcelists/emergency_preparedness_resources_disabili

Disaster Safety for People with Disabilities
http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/disaster-safety-for-people-with-disabilities#Plan-Ahead

Accommodating People With Disabilities In Disasters: A Reference Guide To Federal Law
https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2007/08/21/accommodating-people-disabilities-disasters-reference-guide-federal-law