Why Emergency Preparedness Matters

Recent disasters across the nation highlight the lack of critical community-based planning for people with disabilities and aging population. Ensuring individuals and emergency personnel are prepared prior to a disaster is recognized by FEMA and state and local officials as a key to community resilience. The emergency planning process requires accurate and comprehensive information by seasoned experts and is essential to the implementation of a successful plan.

A Facebook post (new window) and companion article (new window) written by Emily Wolinsky, highlight the importance of preparation.

Proper planning for persons with disabilities in an emergency helps ensure that families stay together with the assistive technologies they need to function independently. This protects natural support systems, and prevents or reduces the effects of acute medical conditions, allowing volunteer medical providers to conserve limited emergency-care resources.

CIDE Emergency Preparedness Training & Education Services include:

• Identification of appropriate assistive technologies, systems and supplies; and
• Customized training tailored for emergency managers, first responders, consumers or community members

Properly providing for the needs of the disability community during an emergency requires highly specialized knowledge and experience. CIDE has the people, the knowledge and the experience to help professionals ensure their emergency preparedness programs meet regulatory requirements and properly serve the disability community throughout the Notification, Evacuation, Sheltering and Recovery phases of an emergency.